Piet de Vries, a Dutch immigrant and architect, has known he is gay since his teenage years. Living in London in 1965 means being himself is illegal. All Piet wants is for this “disease” to disappear, so he can lead a normal life and take care of his disabled sister. Pressure from his family to marry is overwhelming, but he dreads the thought of a loveless marriage based on lies. His coping mechanisms include working out, strong coffee, drowning himself in work, and frequenting a small pub that serves his favourite Dutch lunch dish, uitsmijters. He also visits the Velvet Stool, a seedy pub where men like him can do more than just have a beer to blow off steam.

Cian Bogan, an Irish immigrant, fled home after confessing his love to his childhood best friend. When one kiss a year later forces him to run away again, he resigns himself to a life of loneliness. Working at a small pub in London brings some happiness, though it doesn’t pay the bills. The job helps him ignore who he is and the future he can never have. Especially now, as he takes on a second job, doing something he cannot do out of love because it is illegal. His busy schedule and the daily struggle for survival keep him from longing for more.

Until one day, a young guy on the run from his past doesn’t know how to make uitsmijters.

On the surface, they are nothing alike, but they are instantly drawn to each other. With the threat of prison for being gay and losing everything they’ve built looming over them, will they listen to the law, or will they follow their hearts? Can they find a way to build a life together, no matter the cost?

Piet and Cian made it. They're living in the Netherlands now. And for the first time they can be a real couple. But living together, in a country Piet hasn't lived in for years. And Cian doesn't even speak the language after years of hiding is hard. When uncertainty, jealousy, and prejudice comes into play. And meddlesome family and personal tragedies overshadow their new happiness. Piet and Cian find out sometimes love isn't enough. Do they have what it takes to finally get their happy ever after? Even when real life is not a fairy tale!