Paul arrived in New York at the start of the new millennium with a suit, three shirts and a pack of cigarettes. Citing war and a bad economy as causes, he says he has found it difficult to find a job; he has had no trouble, however, taking advantage of the generosity of friends and strangers. Ousted from his latest apartment onto the wintry streets, he finds himself hopping from bed to bed with a series of lonely and disenchanted city dwellers. THE SCOUNDREL is the story of a few months in the life of one talented and provocative metropolitan import--his days, his nights, his life and loves, the girls (and the boys), the drinks, the conversations, and occasionally, the poetry.