Jorge is a morbidly shy Ecuadorian dishwasher toiling away in a shabby diner in Queens, New York. From his solitary kitchen corner, Jorge quietly attempts to forge a bond with Amy, the newly hired Chinese waitress. Even though she tries to reciprocate, the gulf that separates them may be too large. On the job he is continually tormented by a coworker, and at home in his Harlem apartment, under the psychological control of his domineering "roommate," he battles his inner demons. Choking Man captures the feeling of claustrophobia, and almost literal asphyxiation, newcomers to America experience as they struggle to find a place and purpose in this strange land.