The film is a minimalist, sexually explicit drama that follows the intense relationship between Matt, an English glaciologist, and Lisa, an American student living in London. The narrative is structured around two distinct elements: the couple's raw, unsimulated sexual encounters in a private apartment and the nine live concerts (the "nine songs") they attend together over the course of a year. There is very little dialogue; instead, the film uses the contrast between the loud, public energy of the rock shows and the quiet, physical intimacy of the bedroom to chart the rise and eventual cooling of their passionate but fleeting connection.