Set in New York, Characters follows the exploits of two young immigrants out for a good time. Bryan is a bartender and Edward is a social worker. Both characters drink heavily and Edward is called into the supervisor to explain himself. When she empathises with his situation he misinterprets this as a proposition. Bryan falls for a young girl who works in the local video shop. What he doesn't know is that she is the niece of a mobster who has appointed two ruthless goons to protect her.