 Based on the stories "Slaves of New York" by Tama Janowitz, the film follows the lives of struggling artists in New York City during the mid-1980s.The story follows Eleanor, an aspiring hat designer, and a group of artists and models in the "downtown" New York City art world.Eleanor lives with her younger boyfriend Stash, an unknown artist, who is unfaithful and treats Eleanor with careless indifference.