Set in New York City in the "very early 1980s," Alice Kinnon (Chloë Sevigny) and Charlotte Pingress (Kate Beckinsale), two recent New Hampshire College graduates, work in a New York City publishing house as poorly paid readers. After work one night, they are able to enter an exclusive disco nightclub, where Alice is hoping to socialize with Jimmy Steinway (Mackenzie Astin), who works in advertising and uses the nightclub to entertain clients. Jimmy is ill-tempered because he has been barred from bringing clients to the nightclub and is eventually kicked out by his friend Des McGrath (Chris Eigeman), who works as a manager at the club but whose job is in jeopardy for allowing Jimmy and his clients inside. After Jimmy leaves, Alice takes Charlotte's advice to go home with her second choice, Tom Platt (Robert Sean Leonard). Tom and Alice to back to his apartment and spend the night together.At work the following morning, Charlotte and Alice talk with other editors about how to fast-track their careers. They also decide to move in together with a third girl, Holly (Tara Subkoff), as they cannot afford to pay rent on their own. Despite Alice's reluctance, the three women eventually settle on a railroad apartment.Returning to the club one evening, Alice is upset to learn that Charlotte has designs on Jimmy. She is further upset when Tom tells her that when he slept with her, he had a long-term girlfriend he was separated from and his one-night stand with Alice convinced him to return to her. Des then begins to pursue Alice.At work, Alice decides to pursue the publication of a book on Buddhism,