Set largely in the months before the Wall Street crash, Brightness Falls captures an atmosphere of frenzy and recklessness through the story of Russell and Corrine, an attractive and likeable young couple. To their friends, they epitomise the perfect marriage, but when Russell becomes caught up in an audacious plan to take over the publishing company in which he is the rising editorial star, things begin to fall apart. The adrenaline-fuelled atmosphere of the deal begins to take its toll on both Russell and Corrine, just as the excesses of the 1980s have taken their toll on many others in New York City.
