Winston, a young painter, shares an East Village apartment with Jamie, the son of a prominent art dealer. The death of Jamie's father, who has disinherited him, sets him spinning into the depths of despair. It seems that neither Winston nor Jamie's girlfriend, Amelia, can do anything to help him. But then Jamie has a brilliant idea. On his way home from the reading of the will Jamie ran into Tess, one of his father's richest, most important collectors. Jamie lied to Tess, telling her that his father left him one in a series of the rarest of all of Credeaux's canvases and that she must buy it. Convinced that they will all three be set, Jamie talks Winston (who is studying Credeaux) into inventing this painting with Amelia as the model. The relationships between the three begin to shift as their needs and desires become more evident. Once the painting is completed, and Tess enters their lives, everything comes out in the open, and no one escapes unscathed--the damage is tragically done. (from back cover.)