A writer explores several happenings and obsessions in 1970s New York City. They live in a brownstone in New York City and engage with several other quirky and interesting people.

The writer remembers their late landlord Roger Somerset after recalling homosexual neighbors taking psychiatric drugs. The writer describes the requiem in the heating system for the landlord. Then, they see a Beagle at the pound on ninety-second street.

The writer comments on their work as a writer for a newspaper’s gossip column. The writer remembers a message sent to the tenants in the brownstone about possible imposters posing as repair men trying to gain access to the building.

The writer takes a ride with a Chinese taxi driver who is reading a pornographic print paper. The writer contemplates ‘the point.’ The writer goes to brunch with someone named Inez and a lawyer.

The writer knows where everyone is from, including Roger Somerset. The writer sees the host taking pictures of everyone. Then, they play cards.

The writer recounts their time at a woman’s college. The writer begins to talk about Roger Somerset’s murder. The writer thinks about the Maid of Constant Sorrow, death, and antidepressants. The writer remembers an experience on a train. The writer once saw an Argentine polo-playing existential psychiatrist. The writer thinks about racial violence and government interference.

The writer’s roommate, Aldo moves to LA. The writer goes to visit and sits by a flirtatious couple on an airplane. The writer goes back to the brownstone. Aldo eventually moves back to the brownstone to work on politics. The writer goes to the countryside and contemplates behavior. A marriage between a girl Milly and her husband occurs in the brownstone. Milly knows Aldo and the writer.

One night, the writer takes Valium. Later, the writer receives several phone calls in the middle of the night. Shortly thereafter, the writer believes they know who Roger Somerset’s murderer is. The writer thinks about if and why any of it matters. The writer comes to the conclusion that the newspaper exists as a method for people to fight for their lives.