"You are not where you belong," says the fortuneteller, and Edmond begins his descent into an urban hell. The encounter has caused Edmond to confront the emptiness of his life and marriage. His wife complains that the maid broke a lamp, prompting him to flee the safe boredom of his home for the vortex of the dark streets of Los Angeles, tilting him into a free-fall that he mistakes for liberation, although he certainly now feels alive. As Edmond spirals on towards personal disintegration, his racism and homophobia emerges--and he freely expresses it. "Every fear hides a wish," he discovers.