Norman Moonbloom is a loser who, after extending his college years into his thirties, finds himself forced to accept the job his brother offers him as a property agent in an apartment building in Manhattan. During his visits to the tenants he will acquaint himself with a diverse gallery of characters who are actually archetypes from the New York City of the 1950s. Norman will slowly peer into the lives of his tenants, discovering their innermost wants and needs. His dealings with them will incite important changes in Moonbloom who, ignoring common sense and his brother’s demands of profitability, will embark on a desperate attempt to improve their lives. Norman Moonbloom es un perdedor que, tras alargar sus años de universidad hasta la treintena, se ve obligado a aceptar el trabajo que le ofrece su hermano como administrador de unos apartamentos en Manhattan. Durante las visitas a los inquilinos conocerá una variopinta galería de personajes que son, en realidad, arquetipos del Nueva York de los cincuenta. Poco a poco, Norman irá asomándose a las vidas de sus arrendatarios, descubriendo sus más íntimos deseos y penas. Su trato será el detonante de importantes cambios en la vida de Moonbloom quien, desoyendo las exigencias de rentabilidad de su hermano y las indicaciones del sentido común, se embarcará en un desesperado intento por mejorarles la vida.