In New York City Rafael is a poet outside the law, a different type of Dominican York: He runs an illegal numbers racket in uptown Manhattan, writes poetry, and prays each night to his particular gods: Charlie Parker and El Quijote. In the Dominican Republic, Antonio has lost all hope. He decides to leave his country behind, risking his life and defying sharks in pursuit of entering the United States illegally and setting foot in the Big Apple. From both ends of the American Dream each will try to survive the disconsolation of being a New Dominican York. As the Poet puts it: "This is New York. This is the New York of Dominicans. Here you either learn or explode".
—Anonymous