A homeless 20 year old addict looking for a place to stay for the winter, befriends a janitor and his girlfriend while being chased and tormented by his drug dealer.

As the winter days grow colder James' sleepless nights in the woods become unbearable as he tries to battle his addiction. When his jacket is stolen by his drug dealer he desperately looks for a place to stay and comes upon a music conservatory. On the brink of hypothermia James opens the door and crashes into Alex, a 22 year old janitor on his first day of the job. He eventually meets Alex's wife, Sam, a painter. To Alex's opposition Sam invites James to stay with them in the conservatory at night as long as James overcomes his addiction and helps clean the conservatory. James battles his addiction and being chased by his drug dealer while Alex and Sam grapple with starting their lives and moving to New York, leaving James behind.—Michael Kristy

"Paint the Eyes First" is the story of an addict named James who at 19 is going to spend his first winter homeless. Wanting to keep his current state of living a secret from the loving Mr. and Mrs. Kindell, the elderly owners of a book shop that James works at, he lies and tells them he has a home and family.—Michael Kristy