Alex, a young artist of the Harlem Renaissance, flirts with the idea of bisexuality through posturing and conversations he has with his girlfriend, Melva, and his Bohemian mentor, Raymond. Then he meets Beauty, a Latin man who pursues Alex with poetry and fire, and the fun turns to earnest. The music of a concert performance breaks the floodgates of Alex's desires, and he finds himself torn between Melva and Beauty. Which one will he choose? Based on a short story by Robert Bruce Nugent, shockingly penned in 1926, with narration by Billy Porter, Smoke, Lilies and Jade is a beauty to behold.