being gay began to be celebrated and for many, a time when relationships bloomed, sometimes faded, and bloomed again. Hal's has faded and he finds himself alone in his rented house on shadow Lane, wondering where his life is going. But then Tom and Mike come to rent his spare room, and then he meets handsome Simon, and the four morph into a family. Life begins to shine again, but there is the formidable Denise, owner and absolute ruler of Le Bleu, Laguna's French restaurant where Hal works. Jean-Jacques, Denise's husband and chef keeps her somewhat in check but faces other issues in his life as well. Denise's pet is Eric who turns out to be not to be the lap dog she thought. Then there is Norman the restaurant reviewer, addicted to turquoise jewelry, and the ever patient Roger and his partner Ken, and Carl who can't make up his mind about whether he likes men or women. These and more come and go through the welcoming doors of the house on Shadow Lane.