Dizzying and deadpan in the best Hartley style, Flirt begins in New York City with the story of Bill, whose girlfriend gives him an ultimatum a few hours before leaving for a trip to Paris: make a commitment or end the relationship. Asking for ninety minutes to think it over, he sets out to investigate the only remaining romantic possibility in his life–a married woman named Margaret. Instead, he is forced to confront Margarets devastated husband, Walter, who turns up with a gun, threatening to shoot himself. Bills efforts to save Walter wind up literally exploding in his face. The film then proceeds to tell a variation of the same basic story two more times: in Berlin, where the central character is Dwight, a young black American unable to settle down with his boyfriend, Johan, an older German art dealer; and in Tokyo, where a dance student named Miho is torn between her teacher/choreographer, Mr. Ozu and her boyfriend, an American filmmaker.