The man on the third floor

Walter Samson is a successful book editor in post-World War II New York. He has money, an interesting wife, two smart children, and reason to believe he's leading the good American life--until a chance meeting with Barry Rogers. Barry is blue-collar, handsome, single, and poor. Walter is instantly drawn to Barry and, despite the considerable risks, installs him in the Samson's three-story house on the Upper East Side, where the two men try to keep their amorous relationship secret. Against a backdrop of McCarthy-era fear and pervasive homophobia, Walter manages to alter the direction and course of his life, losing much but gaining more.