Set in the basement kitchen of a large restaurant, thirty chefs, waitresses and kitchen porters, slowly begin the day preparing to serve lunch. The central story tells of a frustrated love affair between a high-spirited, young, German chef, Peter, and a married English waitress, Monique.
Part One slowly builds to a frenzy of serving. Part Two is a lyrical period - the kitchen porters and chefs linger after serving lunch, and talk about their dreams of a better life. In Part Three everyone returns for the slower evening service during which Peter, finally turned down by Monique, goes berserk. The proprietor, bewildered by Peter’s violence, the nature of which he cannot understand, asks his workers what more is there to life than work, money and food.