In Hollywood, at Whispering Glades, a full-service funeral home for departed greats, the mononymonous Mr. Joyboy and Aimée Thanatogenos fall in love... with each other and their work. He is chief embalmer, she a crematorium cosmetician. They spend their days contentedly prepping the loved ones for a final appearance.

Into this idyllic scene comes Dennis Barlow, aspiring poet and funerary colleague. But Dennis is downscale, his employer the Happier Hunting Ground, a pet cemetery. Dennis looks to Aimée for professional reconstruction, falls in love with her instead, and sets up a triangle that is literally more than Aimée can bear.