Content Warning: This novel includes discussions of drug abuse and death by suicide.

A young British woman named Cleo meets an older American man named Frank in the elevator on New Year’s Eve in New York City. Cleo is going home, and Frank is being sent from a party to pick up more ice. They strike up a conversation. They tease one another, calling each other Cleopatra and Frankenstein. Frank insists on walking Cleo home. As they walk, they talk about sex, work, and life. Cleo is from England and isn’t close to her remaining family. She’s worried that she’ll have to go back to England soon because her student visa is expiring. Frank pays for Cleo’s cigarettes and a slice of pizza. Cleo is broke but nonetheless teases Frank for buying things for women as a sign that he, like all men, wants to buy women.

They continue talking in Cleo’s lobby. Frank wants to sleep with her, but Cleo is hesitant to get attached. At midnight, she and Frank holds hands and jump from the stairwell to commemorate the New Year.