Present day New York City has grown and aged to the extent that it must be “birthed” with the help of an avatar, as all great cities of the past have been. A Black man leads the city through this transformation, fighting against an ancient enemy who would otherwise have it vanquished.

A young adolescent gang leader steals a flashlight, which helps him find a new way to see the gang activity in his city.

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.

An elderly southern man travels to New York City to live with his daughter when he can no longer care for himself. While there, his hatred for his environment reveals his virulent racism and bitter dissatisfaction with his lot in life.

A forcibly-retired T.V. star relocates to a rural mountain town with his photographer friend. When the photographer allows a single mother to sleep in the star’s Mercedes every night and eat his food, tension begins to build between the pair.

The stress of poverty drives a young man to commit a robbery. But when the deal goes south and someone is shot, he must hide from the law at his brother's place.

A homeless man in the Southern US is accused of a crime he didn't commit. As he goes through the conviction process, he learns about the ugly truths of the American justice system and its need to punish outcasts.

A homeless man in Paris wanders around looking for old friends, only to find that during his time away in Spain, they have all become nearly unrecognizable.

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.

In a town so small it can hardly be called a town, a black woman serves a rich white family until a series of horrific events causes the single joy in her life to vanish.