It was the only kind of love between a man and a woman that is still forbidden.

There comes a time when each of us has a secret we dare not share

She can have everything she wanted. Except the man she loved.


Michael and Patricia meet in an unusual way — while on a date with another woman, Michael attempts to retrieve his date's car keys from a fountain. When his date abandons him, he meets Patricia and they soon find themselves falling in love. After learning that she is pregnant, they decide to get married and hold the ceremony in Canada, where Michael's family lives.
Patricia's parents have never met Michael, and are out of the country, therefore unable to attend the wedding. They meet their new son-in-law after returning from their travels. While reviewing pictures from the wedding she missed, Patricia's mother is shocked to discover that she knows Michael's father; he is also Patrcia's father, the result of a brief tryst between the two many years before. Therefore, a newly married couple learns that they are half-siblings, with a pregnancy already underway.
Distraught over the news, Patricia goes to her doctor to see if she can obtain a late-term abortion. The doctor tells her that if the fetal weight is still low, they may be able to terminate the pregnancy due to her situation. Patricia ultimately decides not to go through with the abortion, but is still weary of her relationship with Michael.
The couple spend the rest of the pregnancy from their friends and family. Patricia's mother begs her to reconsider ending the pregnancy, or to go away and give the baby up for adoption, but Patricia reprimands her and says that doesn't want anymore family secrets. Michael also starts to research the history of incest, and it's effects on people.
While at home, Patricia goes into labor and has Micheal take her to the hospital. She gives birth to a healthy baby girl. Whom they name Amy. Six weeks after Amy's birth, Michael attempts to initiate sex with Patricia, who becomes hysterical. Unable to cope with Michael as her husband, Patricia ends the marriage.

Michael and Patricia meet in an unusual way - while he is on a date and is trying to retrieve his date's car keys from a fountain. When Michael's date abandons him, he hangs out with Patricia and these two nice young people soon find themselves falling in love. They decide to wed and hold the ceremony in Canada, where Michael's family lives. Patricia's parents, who have been on a lengthy cruise and have never met Michael, cannot attend, but they meet their new daughter-in-law soon afterward. While reviewing pictures from the wedding, Michael's mother is shocked to discover that she knows Patricia's father. Even more shocking is the revelation that Patricia's father is also Michael's father, the result of a one-night stand many years before, and that the happily married couple are therefore half-siblings. To make matters worse, it turns out that Patricia is pregnant. The rest of Bittersweet Love is taken up with Michael and Patricia deciding what they should do about this situation, as well as with reactions and advice from their family members.


Release Date: November 19, 1976

Distrib: Avco Embassy