Aging historian Gerald Middleton is taciturn and methodical, a creature of habit who prefers his daily routine undisturbed. Separated from his wife and disapproving of his youngest son’s job, Middleton's life and career are beginning to lose meaning. Keenly aware of his faults and the void he's created around himself, Middleton is forced back into society once more as his past catches up with him.

More than two dozen men and women of various backgrounds, ages, and races talk to the camera about being gay or lesbian. Their stories are arranged in loose chronology: early years, fitting in (which for some meant marriage), coming out, establishing adult identities, and reflecting on how things have changed and how things should be.