The story crosses the paths of characters from various social and ethnic groups in Los Angeles. Forty of the ensemble cast have significant speaking roles, but none takes the part of the main protagonist. The story takes place in 1989, against the backdrop of the city's racial tensions of the era and the US invasion of Panama. At the nominal center is a punk band called Love and Rockets, which shares its name with the English band; the punk band complains stole the name from them (the real-life band formed in 1985 and took its name from the Hernandez's comic book). The band is slated to appear at a party at the bass player's upper-class mother's home, but the performance never takes place in the story. Rather, the story quickly transitions from character to character, revealing details of each one's personality traits and ethnic, class, sexual, and subcultural backgrounds. The story builds in complexity to a chaotic alcohol- and drug-fueled party in which someone almost gets killed; the turbulent narrative then calms and slows into a sequence of wordless panels that pan out into the cosmos.