The six linked sections of Couples, Passersby present vignettes of frustrated connections and emotional numbness as characters search for meaning in art, in language, and in each other. A man waiting for his beloved to cross the street watches as she's struck by a car. A colorless suburban couple makes the long journey from their home to sit in a gay bar and feel exotic. A man leaves an animated intellectual lunch and goes unrecognized by his companion a few minutes later. Throughout, Strauss filters the particulars of everyday existence through his singular sensibility to creating a portrait of contemporary urban society and the artist's place within it.