A castaway, surrounded by water, suffers the most miserable thirst. The same ironic ache haunts lonely souls in the congested city of New York. But on this night, at a hotel, several strangers reach out and connect.

On the roof of a Manhattan hotel, Helen, a flight attendant with cancer, meets depressed actor Marc. Below, Marketa, a young Czech woman, connects with Cuban maid Marlene as they struggle to communicate. Brendan, 7, mistakenly dials a sex hotline and connects with a lonely operator. Hallie, a runaway, shares an encounter with a Danish man that neither will forget. Drifting through the hotel, these strangers connect in moments of compassion and hope.—Aloura Melissa Charles