While working to complete his controversial doctoral dissertation, Paul, an aspiring writer (and stubbornly offbeat historian) meets Gabriel, an irresistibly sweet (and still-closeted) undergrad with a disarming smile and a refreshingly romantic sensibility.
As Paul and Gabriel grow closer, they realize the importance of balancing each other's social viewpoints and maintaining their own individuality, all while managing their friends' expectations and the wild electricity generated between Kegan and Elsa, a passionate pair of budding lesbians.
With heartbreak, humor, ancient ethics, Cole Porter and some really bad modern dance, Joy is the story of seven friends discovering their own unique love of life, each other and themselves in the magical City by the Bay.