Five friends living in New York watch their friendships and relationships evolve through three different eras: 1993, 2001 and 2008.We meet the group in 1993, post-college, at a lively East Village party thrown by Athena Barnes, an aspiring actress. Among the guests is Gregory Paget, a young intellectual critic and wannabe filmmaker. Gregory is there with his roommates, Josh Adler, son of a real estate tycoon, and Joe Rivera, a burgeoning young lawyer. Beth Greenway, a schoolteacher, knows Athena from yoga class but is a stranger to the rest of them. Quick to notice beautiful women, Josh and Joe spot Beth immediately and begin the battle for her heart. When a gunman crashes the party, the night goes awry and seals their fates as friends and lovers.
By 2001, Joe and Beth are married and have a three-year-old son. Joe is a successful Madison Avenue lawyer, and Beth is a professional wife and mother. Josh, still secretly pining for Beth, is a real estate developer with a soft spot for hookers. Athena is a well-known Broadway actress. Gregory has given up his dream of being a filmmaker and has instead become a columnist who is now sleeping with men. Through it all, they've remained close friends, celebrating successes while helping each other through rough spots as they learn that wealth and good fortune often lead to a whole other series of complications.
Seven years later, in 2008, Gregory is a therapist and is happily involved with Detective Patrick Logan. Athena's star has faded and she remains single, except for the company of her drug addiction. Joe is an aspiring politician and he and Beth are now divorced. Beth, battling the early stages of blindness, is a best-selling author and is expecting her second child. She has married Josh who is now the chef and owner of a new downtown bistro.