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.

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.

The racism a Black, working-class couple faces at work during the Harlem Renaissance spills over into their relationship in violent ways.

A busy maid in Harlem has been saving money for months to buy tickets for a boat ride. When there is a sudden threat to her long-awaited excursion, she will stop at nothing get on the boat.

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 man in Harlem must traverse perilous waters as he attempts to dually support his brother's career in jazz and help him cope with the pain that led him to a heroin overdose in the past.

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.

When a friend from his drug-dealing past shows up unannounced, a filmographer who lives in the suburbs of Long Island must reckon with how to preserve his suburban fantasy while he tries to save his friend from their former dealer.

In a small university town in the 1960s, a mysterious couple moves into the attic and keeps to themselves, leaving the neighbors to wonder what goes on behind closed doors. Through gossip and rumors, the neighbors witness the slow unraveling of Mr. Markham's life.

An elderly woman visits her successful grandson in New York City. Although various people allude to the scandalousness of the source of his fortune, she is unsure if she wants the truth.