“Smoke, Lilies and Jade” opens with the narrator, a young Black man, wandering through the streets of Harlem at night. The city feels alive and dreamlike, full of music, lights, and mysterious encounters.

From the beginning, Nugent immerses readers in a sensual, almost hallucinatory world, where sights, sounds, and emotions blend together. The narrator is highly aware of his surroundings, but more than that, he is attuned to his own inner desires and longings, which flow freely throughout the narrative.

As he walks, he reflects on his attraction to both men and women, an openness that is central to the story. His thoughts shift between moments of fantasy and the reality around him, creating a fluid, dreamlike sequence of experiences. Nugent’s narrative does not follow a linear timeline; instead, it moves like the narrator’s consciousness—fragmented, introspective, and full of sensory impressions.

The young man encounters people and objects that spark desire, curiosity, or aesthetic appreciation. A passing figure, a glimpse of beauty, or even a touch of light becomes charged with meaning, highlighting the intensity of his perception and emotional response.

The protagonist’s journey is as much inward as it is outward. While wandering Harlem, he recalls moments of intimacy and encounters from the past, blending memory with imagination. He thinks about relationships he has had or desires he wishes to explore, creating a tapestry of erotic longing.

Nugent portrays these desires candidly, without shame, showing the narrator exploring the full spectrum of his sexuality. These reflections are deeply personal and are intertwined with his understanding of identity, art, and self-expression.

Throughout the story, objects and symbols appear repeatedly, shaping the narrative and the protagonist’s experience. “Smoke” drifts through the scenes, creating a sense of fleetingness and sensuality.

It evokes nightlife, jazz clubs, and the intoxicating atmosphere of Harlem, where the boundaries between reality and fantasy blur. “Lilies” appear as symbols of beauty, delicacy, and ephemeral pleasure, while “jade” conveys mystery, preciousness, and hidden value. These images recur as the narrator moves through the city, meets strangers, or recalls moments of intimacy, emphasizing the fluid connection between his inner desires and the external world.

As the story progresses, the narrator becomes increasingly immersed in these experiences of beauty and sensuality. He visits spaces—bars, nightclubs, or private rooms—where art, music, and human interaction converge. Here, he observes and participates in flirtation, attraction, and erotic play.

Nugent’s description of these encounters is lyrical and often surreal, emphasizing emotion and sensation over concrete action. The narrator experiences moments of joy, longing, and self-realization as he navigates desire and identity in this vibrant Harlem setting.

One key element of the story is Nugent’s portrayal of the narrator’s same-sex attraction. The protagonist experiences deep desire for men, which he explores both internally and through fleeting encounters. These moments are tender, erotic, and reflective, highlighting the narrator’s personal understanding of love and desire.

Nugent does not treat these attractions as scandalous or immoral; rather, they are natural parts of the narrator’s life and consciousness. In this way, the story is revolutionary, portraying Black queer desire as authentic and complex, set against the backdrop of a racially segregated society that often denies such experiences.

Memory and imagination continue to shape the plot, as the narrator recalls past interactions, imagined encounters, or artistic inspirations. He drifts seamlessly between real and fantastical moments, illustrating the porous boundaries between his desires, experiences, and artistic sensibilities.

Music and visual art—whether seen in nightclubs, on the streets, or in his mind—heighten these experiences, creating an intertwined narrative of emotion, sensation, and aesthetic appreciation. Nugent emphasizes that for the narrator, life and art are inseparable; beauty, desire, and self-awareness flow together in a continuous experience.

By the end of the story, the narrator’s journey does not resolve into a traditional conclusion or moral lesson. Instead, it leaves readers with a lingering impression of his consciousness, desires, and ongoing self-exploration. Harlem itself feels alive, vibrant, and infinitely complex, reflecting the narrator’s inner world.

The story closes on a note of ambiguity, capturing the dreamlike and ephemeral quality of experience—desires fade and shift like smoke, moments of beauty are fleeting like lilies, and the preciousness of selfhood remains like jade, rare and enduring.

In summary, “Smoke, Lilies and Jade” follows a young Black man as he wanders through Harlem, reflecting on his desires, memories, and experiences. The story is nonlinear and impressionistic, blending reality, fantasy, and memory in a lyrical exploration of sexuality, identity, and aesthetic awareness.

The narrator encounters moments of beauty, pleasure, and intimacy, particularly same-sex attraction, in spaces where art, music, and nightlife intersect. Symbols like smoke, lilies, and jade recur throughout, conveying sensuality, transience, and value.

The plot is less about external events and more about the internal journey of self-discovery, desire, and affirmation, leaving readers with a vivid, immersive sense of Harlem and the narrator’s consciousness. Nugent’s story is groundbreaking for its candid portrayal of Black queer life, its lyrical style, and its celebration of aesthetic and sensual experience, making it a cornerstone of Harlem Renaissance literature.