Big issues, packaged in flamboyantly witty dialogue, are addressed amidst hyper-stylized decors with a theatrical 1950s feel (think a rather dark, campy twist on West Side Story (1961) as directed by John Waters). How should one be a ‘real’ man or woman? And, what does the institution of marriage have to do with it? Suze and Arthur are the ideal Lower East Side bohemian couple. He earns a modest living as a clarinetist, she is a stylish housewife, dutifully doing the washing up. One evening, they witness a murder, committed by a rough gang of greasers in leather jackets, on the sidewalk in front of their house. This introduction to the intimidating Young Gents arouses previously unsuspected emotions and feelings of sexuality in both Arthur and Suze.