Petulia documents the lives of two contemporary wealthy San Franciscans (1968) who, in mid-life, find themselves without purpose, desire, or direction. One is Archie (Scott) a physician in the latter stages of divorce. Why? It's never addressed directly; he just appears to have run out of steam. The other is Petulia (Christie), recently married to a very cold fish (Chamberlain). Against the backdrop of a soulless psychedelic San Francisco, Petulia pursues Archie in search of an affair.
This movie is a downer, albeit a very good downer. My only complaint is the very dated, very 60s directing style of Lester. It's not aging well. It IS a good movie, although I can't say I would recommend it to anyone.