In 1920s New York, amid the contrasts between factories, working-class neighborhoods, and the lavish mansions of the wealthy, a world of social inequality unfolds before George and the narrator. The fate of Poti, an Italian worker, the courage of Ivy, who distributes literature in the streets, and the quiet presence of Helena, a servant, bring together themes of labor, poverty, hostility toward immigrants, and moral double standards. Beneath the city's glitter lies an unjust order that governs people's lives.