Miles and Carole are dating. They live in California during the tail end of the 1960's, and they discover LSD. The book opens with them visiting a friend's LSD factory in his home in San Francisco. They decide to try the acid, and they compare its effects to marijuana. They share records and talk about music and find meaning in the culture they are a part of.
Miles and Carole talk about everything together. As drug fanatics, they often experience paranoia, what with the law and all that. Also, the drugs make them feel paranoid, so they talk through their fears with one another. They are young and excitable, and they decide to take a journey to Mexico. Their plan is to travel together and do a bunch of drugs.
Then they get to Mexico and discover that life south of the border is far more dangerous than they anticipated. Their partying leaves them vulnerable to crime, and they are harassed by dangerous people. Carole is constantly bothered by pimps and insulting people in the Mexican underground, and they realize that their attempt at a fun, happy vacation is falling apart, and they wonder about the future.
