A Bill to Pay begins with Pappie, a World War II veteran and the owner of Pappie's Bar & Grill, and Pearl, his 80-year old girlfriend, who says "For every pleasure there's a bill to pay." After years of withholding what happened to the parents of his grandson, Pappie must pay. Pappie wants Andy, his grandson, to take over his restaurant, while Andy is more interested in Kate, his girlfriend from Toronto. Andy plays pool with Heinz, a tool & die apprentice, for wagers he cannot afford. Then Kate's former boyfriend, William, shows up, pitching the latest venture of his American family—beefalo. William urges Pappie to put their beefalo on his menu. "It will set you apart from your competition"—the American fast food giants that are popping up everywhere. Fran, an MBA student who waitresses in Pappie's Bar & Grill, isn't buying William's claims. She is upset about the international trade decisions that grip Canada. With Pearl's assistance, Fran articulates the love-hate relationships of neighbours in the midst of Canada's negotiations to join NAFTA, the initial North American Free Trade Agreement between Canada, the United States, and Mexico. And there's more going on that the audience sees. Fran has been suppressing her secret love, while Andy has been withholding his passion for flying. Finally, Pappie fesses up, sort of. He muses, "Somehow these flowers make sense together."