What's So Bad About Feeling Good?

Psittacosis becomes salubrious as a foreign toucan slips through customs in New York and infects the native population of muggers, malcontents, and conceited strivers with a virus that causes happiness and good will. Peppard, a disaffected dropout artist, is the first to be contaminated by the euphoria bug. He and his live-in girl friend, Moore, harbor the bird, which they name "Amigo." Recognizing the source of the delightful disease, the two conspire to spread it. Soon, happiness alters the face of the city, resulting in an economic crisis: sales of cigarettes, alcoholic beverages, and tranquilizers have plummeted. Hoping to save his city from financial disaster,...