Plot summary
A group of friends watch a film by making jokes about the film, accompanying the bedridden Robert Giffin, a man with dilated cardiomyopathy. As they continue laughing, Robert's boyfriend, Kevin Lamb (Dennis Christopher), is devastated to realize that he has died while holding his hand.
Kevin meets with David (Michael C. Hall) and Nate (Peter Krause) to arrange the funeral, wanting an opera-themed funeral for Robert. Despite the costs, they agree, although Federico (Freddy Rodriguez) expresses concern for the theme. Lisa (Lili Taylor) begins to prepare arrangements for Ruth's birthday, despite Nate (Peter Krause) insisting that Ruth (Frances Conroy) is not interested in celebrating her birthday. Nevertheless, Bettina (Kathy Bates) begins influencing Ruth's decisions, convincing her in letting Lisa prepare a birthday party.
Claire (Lauren Ambrose) misses Ruth's party, as she wants to attend a class by her new professor, Scott Philip Smith (Evan Handler). While encouraging Claire to pursue her ambitions, Olivier (Peter Macdissi) is not convinced that Scott is reliable as a professor for her. Subsequently, they go to a bar, alongside Russell (Ben Foster). Soon, Olivier and Scott get into heavy arguments over their methods, prompting Claire and Russell to leave.
During Ruth's birthday party, Bettina begins interferring with Lisa's plans, and gets them to drink alcohol. During this, Nate begins to hallucinate and see Ruth and Lisa as one person, excusing himself from the party. He has a conversation with Nathaniel (Richard Jenkins), worrying that he might become like him. Inspired by Robert's love for Kevin, David hopes to build a stronger relationship with Keith (Mathew St. Patrick), believing they need to stop fighting. While Keith is still unsure of their future, he is willing to try.
Credits
Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Nobody Sleeps. Paragraphs and formatting adjusted; illustrations, reference markers, block quotations and non-story material omitted.