The Yellow City' takes place in the course of one day and follows the stories of several characters. The first six chapters outline each character, giving a detailed description of who they are as individuals. The main characters are comprised of Katriona, the beautiful, and promiscuous restaurant manager who has been highly sexualized by all of the men in her life. E, or Edward, a black kid from Harlem who cannot find a way to escape his socioeconomic circumstances. Scott, a quirky, selfish finance banker who is grappling with his sexual identity. A homeless man who faces the struggles of severe mental illness and also the harshness of the New York City landscape. And Sylvie, a former mid-westerner who is fiercely codependent on her lover... This specific day happens to be highly significant to each character in some way. They all find themselves in various types of trouble or unidealistic circumstances... E gets some weed he is carrying for a dangerous, neighborhood thug stolen off him, Sylvie finds out her lover is having an affair, Scott is threatened with a gun if he doesn't extort money from his bank firm. Perhaps the biggest break is with Katriona, though, as she is approached by a disturbing man on the Subway and told that her life is in jeopardy. He threatens her, and demands that she remain aboard and tell nobody of their conversation. He mentions to her that he will return, then saunters off. Near the end of the novel their stories converge. One by one, each of the characters make their way onto the same train car. The strange man makes good on his promise and re-enters the scene, threatening to kill them all if they don't play his bizarre game, a storytelling, Russian roulette, of sorts. Both alone, and together, they try to keep themselves alive.