One night in the Bronx a millionaire, Sherman McCoy, and his mistress have an accident. The next day a young Black is in hospital in a coma as McCoy heads for disaster. His humiliation is at the centre of a satire on the decaying class, racial and political structure of New York in the 1980s.
A colorful cast of Miami's residents and visitors navigate their daily lives, both legal and illegal, in a panoramic story of contemporary America. Officer Nestor Camacho patrols Biscayne Bay, immersing himself in a city where diverse cultures intersect at the ballot box. This melting pot is filled with complex characters, including the Cuban mayor, a black police chief, a young muckraking journalist, and his Yale-educated editor at the Miami Herald. There's also an Anglo sex-addiction psychiatrist and his enchanting Latina nurse, along with a billionaire patient grappling with porn addiction. A Haitian professor, who aspires for his daughter Ghislaine to "pass" for white, adds to the mix, as does her Creole-speaking little brother. The narrative also features crack dealers in the neighborhoods and clueless art collectors at the Miami Art Basel Fair, spending millions on de-skilled art. Tensions rise as black drug dealers clash with Cuban cops, while spectators at the Columbus Day Regatta seek out post-race festivities. Amidst this vibrant chaos, ex-New Yorkers at an "Active Adult" condo and a group of shady Russians contribute to the city's eclectic tapestry.
Briljante studieresultaten katapulteren de slimme, maar naïeve Charlotte Simmons vanuit een klein geïsoleerd stadje in de bergen van North Carolina naar de (fictieve) elite-universiteit Dupont, waar al haar normen en waarden grof worden gebruskeerd. Waar ze onverzadigbare intellectuele honger bij haar medestudenten verwachtte, treft ze slechts geile bronstigheid, liederlijke drankzucht en excessieve aandacht voor sport. Iedereen lijkt er alleen maar op uit daarmee te stijgen op de ranglijst van 'cool'-heid. Charlotte houdt dapper stand in deze poel des verderfs, totdat...