spoiler originally call 1/9 or the nyc seventh avenue subway line that run the length of manhattan island and end at the tip of the battery adrift in manhattan connects three lonely people who live along it route . 20 year old camera store worker simon colon and victor rasuk and be obsess in photograph people on the street and as well a subway and of new york . one day simon come across this lady sit in the park and becomes infatuate with her multi color and or rainbow and scarf . the lady in question rise phipps and heather graham and become very agitated and and even frighten and when simon mail a number of photo he take of her at her brownstone . we never quite get what simon reason for mail his secretly take photo of rise be but it almost get him fire from his job . instead rise soon becomes almost a infatuate with simon a he with her to the point of invite him into her home and and to simon utter surprise and delight and force him and a virgin and to make love to her . like simon we soon find out that rise be not all there and emotionally and in that she estrange from his husband high school teacher mark and william baldwin and and be suffer from a deep depression in the tragic loss of her and mark two year old son casey and leim de villa . rise sexual relationship with simon soon start to effect her work a an eye doctor in her treat a patient of her the refine elderly and cultured gentleman tommaso pensara and dominic chianese . tommaso be slowly lose his sight and in him love to paint that as well have him receive a slow and painful death sentence . tommaso be also in danger of lose his job in the mail room in that he can not see the letter and package in order to correctly distribute them . it tommaso co worker isabel parade and elizabeth pena and who not only take the time to help him out at his job but cover up all his mistake . isabel also fall in love with the some 75 year old bachelor who for the first time in year feel that he want for himself not his talent while in his music and his art . all three main character and rise simon and tommaso and in the movie interconnect with each other due to their proximity to the 1/9 subway line . and it that very reason that make their lonely and desperate life and who be aimlessly adrift in manhattan and that much more worth living .