The award-winning author of Clara's Heart crafts a vivid mosaic of the passions and pressures of gay life in New York City as two men find their all-consuming affair threatened by the cynicism of mutual friends and memories of lost love. One night ten years ago, Will Kaplan and his lover went for a swim in the Pacific Ocean--but only Will emerged. In the following decade, Will moved to New York, filling his days with numerous meaningless affairs, still haunted by his lover's disappearance--had he drowned? Or had he planned to abandon Will that night? While throwing himself into the gay scene of New York City in the time of the AIDS epidemic, Will meets a young man just as tormented and scarred by the past as Will. Drawn together by secrets, obsessions, and the desire for intimacy--as well as the fears that prevent intimacy--their intense relationship makes waves in their circles of friends and ex-lovers, transforming Will's life forever.