William Shin

Shadowed by the death of her mother, Julie Kumagai's life with her widower father is marked by pained, turbulent exchanges. Indifferent to a break-up with her boyfriend and the lure of a long-planned trip, she finds some refuge in her workplace where she meets Tetsuro, a young Korean man newly emigrated from Japan who is obsessed with all things American. But together they discover no easy resolutions.

When Matt, a suddenly divorced and unemployed schlub of a gay man, overdoses on psychedelics, he reconnects with his late Uncle Larry, who died of AIDS in the ’90s — possibly the only person who can get Matt’s life back on track.