A wealthy man in Chicago suddenly learns about the untimely death of a poor woman he'd been dating. Confronted with her child, whom he'd begun to develop a bond with, he must determine to what extent he will allow his greed to overcome his compassion.

In the early 1970s, a listless radical must decide what to do with his life as his social circle of grassroots activists dwindles.

A group of working class people run a dangerous path toward a promised Elysium, and those who survive are rewarded with nothing they can appreciate or comprehend.

Al Roosten, a local business owner always second-best to his competitor, Larry Donfrey, contemplates returning to an anti-drug charity event to ensure that Donfrey is able to help his disabled daughter.

A middle aged upper class woman and her family live in an upscale neighborhood. The family's laughter turns malicious when they cannot distinguish between what is comical and what is horrendous and increasingly find amusement at the expense of others.

A man recounts his life experience in New York, covering the various people near and dear to him, as well as the growth of the city itself.

After being laid off from his job, a man struggles to find meaning in a utopian world where all of his basic needs are already met for him.

An unhappy woman lives in the slums of New York only to watch her life transform as her children become wildly successful, catapulting her into an unrecognizable world of extravagance.

A New Yorker attends a meeting for unemployed workers and the sleazy speakers leave him skeptical about his job prospects.

A lonely and financially unstable middle-aged man tries and fails to sell Everlasting Beauty kitchenware to a family on the Black side of town in order to pay for his daughter's schooling.