Two young and talented black men, photographer Ray and struggling actor Chris, are best friends in 1990s London. But Ray is only attracted to white men, which Chris sees as betraying his race, while Chris is into a heavy sexual masochism which Ray cannot understand. Their current lovers bring more complications. Drawn into the S/M scene through his relationship with Chris, the heterosexually-identified pimp Clinton ends up in prison for manslaughter; and Ray's young white lover Louis is beaten into a coma by a black street gang.This ambitious novel by the author of Black Butterflies reflects the complex entanglements of real life in a society where racism and homophobia distort the most intimate relationships, yet love and friendship are still possible across the barriers of oppression.