Charlie, a young doctoral student of mixed race with schizoaffective disorder, in 1990's Manhattan, is on the brink of discovery when she meets- and falls in love with- boygod; the troubled heir to a tech company ruled by his beautiful and ruthless mother, Daphne Fitzgerald-Turner. The pair immerse themselves in an intense relationship, fueled by drugs and a traumatic bond with their respective mothers. Boygod, whose volatile relationship with imperious Daphne crosses many shocking borders, and Charlie, whose own mother's struggles with mental illness lead to a near case of filicide.