Raul is an Argentinian painter, fresh on New York's buzzing downtown scene, who has just caught the eye of the city's most infamous critic.

James is the critic. His synaesthesia lets him interpret art as fireworks and symphonies - but he's just been struck by writer's block.

And then there's Lucy: newly escaped from small-town Idaho, young and beautiful, she will become first Raul's lover and then James's.

This electrifying debut captures the raw energy and spontaneity of the 1980s downtown scene - it is a celebration of the power of art, a love letter to New York and an intimate portrait of the strangers who embody the city's spirit.