Hip lesbian Micki Silva leaves her fast-paced urban lifestyle for Cape May, New Jersey, to help her ailing uncle Charlie. At the local diner, run by Shelley, Micki meets Charlie's friend Roberta. Roberta likes her house, working at the diner, and numerous aspects of the small-town way of life that bore Micki, but opposites attract. Drawn together by the dying Charlie, the two women develop a complex relationship.
Jonathan, a heartbroken English musician, arrives at a Washington DC dinner party. A flirtation with the Greek hostess, Evelyn, turns into an argument once the discussion turns to the etiquette of courtship. The rest of the guests join the fray.
The Beat delves into the personal and professional lives of two young police recruits who patrol New York's streets. The city's daily machinations are seen through the often bloodshot eyes of Officers Mike Dorigan and Zane Marinelli, two youthful, irreverent partners who are truly products of their generation and unique urban environment. Issues of race, excessive police force – and the unpredictable quirkiness of New York's outspoken locals – compel both men to rely on their sense of humor just to make it to the end of their shift.