A one-act play set in the lobby of a run-down New York hotel, 1928. Small-time gambler Erie Smith drifts in late at night, pouring out memories of the late night clerk Hughie to his bewildered replacement. Erie's street-wise bravado and Hughie's earnest simplicity form a stark contrast; beneath their talk-past-each-other dialogue lies Erie's desperate need for his only emotional anchor.