Jerry Foley was only three years old when his mother left him on his aunt's doorstep; he never saw his mother again. Although he grew up in an orphanage, Jerry's life began when he enlisted in the Army in 1941. Released from service in 1944, Jerry relocates to New York City and becomes a motorcycle policeman and later a detective in vice. What sets Jerry apart is his ability to lead men and an unquenchable appetite for alcohol. On one of his nightly forays into Tony's Place, owned by Tony Castaldo, Jerry meets Brian McHugh. Jerry, although intrigued by this fellow, is instantly uncomfortable around him when he learns he is a hair stylist. He assumes all hairstylists are faggots. Unfortunately for Brian he holds a secret desire for Jerry. Their lives become interwoven with Eleanor, a lovely Titian-haired young widow and Edith, a voluptuous blond; who work with Brian in an elegant salon owned by Cleo, a very savvy business woman. She has a wealthy lover who keeps her in luxury. Jerry has a detective partner who is married and in a loving marriage with Lucille; there are vain attempts to lead Jerry into marriage. He is very contented living with Nora, a widow he befriended when doing her a kindness seeing her home and eventually moving into her home and her heart. She had never had a child and he became a loving son. They are all woven together into each other's lives and though ordinary people; the passion and drama bring out the worst and the best in each of them.