A Reason For Living is a fictitious account of a middle-class Jamaican family caught up in a revolution in the mid-1960s, borne out of gross social and economic inequities, and the oppression of the poor and lowly educated, and the youths drawn to the Rastafari faith. Howard Baxter is a young handsome artist, and heir to the real estate empire of his father Edmond Baxter. But he has no interest in managing and striving for wealth. Painting is his passion along with “deflowering” as many young, beautiful Jamaican maidens as he is attracted to. Bernaldo Lloyd is a member of the Baxter clan, a young handsome medical student with a deep sensitivity to the hopelessness of the Jamaican masses. He has close ties to the Rastafari movement that is calling for social and economic equity, and is bent on overthrowing the corrupt government of the day. Both young men are influenced by the Black Power movement coming out of the United States, that is demanding equal rights and justice for the African Americans, and of the survival of the Cuban revolution of 1959. The women in their lives though critical of them, love them unconditionally.
 
It is the mid-1960s in Kingston, Jamaica, and the country is steeped in social, political, and economic inequities. Howard Baxter, the heir to a real estate empire, has no interest in seeking or managing wealth. Painting and deflowering Jamaican maidens are his passions. As he combs the streets looking for greater meaning in his pathetic life, it soon becomes apparent that Howard’s journey will not be easy. Bernaldo Lloyd, a member of the Baxter clan, is a medical student who is sensitive to the hopelessness of the Jamaican masses. Inspired by his close friend and Howard’s cousin, Ras Robin Pone, and their ties with the Rastafari movement that calls for social and economic equity, Bernaldo is determined to overthrow the corrupt government. As Howard, Bernaldo and Robin become influenced by America’s Black Power and Civil Rights movements demanding equal rights for African Americans, the women in their lives both love and criticize them. But when revolution breaks out, Howard finally discovers a purpose for his twisted lifethat leads him in a direction he never anticipated. In this tale of love, passion, and self-discovery, two Jamaican men become caught up in a 1960's revolution that reveals injustices, oppression, and a purposefor one of them.