Lalonde discusses the development of the Quiet Revolution, which occurred in 1960 in Quebec and involved the formation of separatist groups. Lalonde then goes on to discuss the important changes occurring in Canada's federal government and Quebec politics at the time. Tracing the history of constitutional reform in that era and the frustrations that led up to it, he describes the period in which the Parti Quebecois (PQ) appeared and its current status.