The film is a day in the life of a young artist, Jean-Michel Basquiat, who needs to raise money to reclaim the apartment from which he has been evicted. He wanders the downtown streets carrying a painting he hopes to sell, encountering friends, whose lives (and performances) we peek into.
A psychotic saxophone player lures victims to deserted spots with his music and then guns them down.
A rock band is on the brink of super-stardom. Until now they've juggled their music career with cocaine smuggling. The musicians and their manager wish to sever ties with organized-crime, leave the drug world behind and concentrate on music. They are coerced into doing one last job for the Mob. They lose the $2 million of cocaine and find themselves marked men unless they can fulfill their obligations.
