The story revolves around a young couple and their seven-year-old son, whose lives are turned upside down when the police invade their home, search it without a warrant, and take the mother away in handcuffs, leaving the family in shock and confusion. The narrative explores themes of injustice, the impact of authority on personal lives, and the quest for truth amidst chaos, as the family grapples with the sudden disruption and seeks answers to the harrowing situation they face.
The narrative follows Bessie Mae and Julia, lifelong friends who navigate life as secretaries and wives. After the sudden death of Bessie Mae's husband, a district court judge, Julia encourages her to adopt a pet for companionship. The story unfolds through Julia's perspective, exploring themes of friendship, loss, and the evolving dynamics of family as Bessie Mae steps into a supportive role for Julia's children. Their intertwined lives reflect the complexities of love and resilience in the face of change.
The story follows a mother grappling with her controlling husband, who becomes increasingly tyrannical as he struggles in his career. When she becomes unexpectedly pregnant, tension escalates, leading to a tragic accident that results in her hospitalization and a miscarriage. Misunderstood and mistreated, she finds herself in a sanitarium, where her husband's deceitful narrative casts her as unstable. With the help of a new doctor and her uncle's investigation, she seeks to uncover the truth behind her fall, reclaim her life, and protect her children from her husband's manipulations.
The earth was being destroyed by its inhabitants, and as many as possible of those who realized it left the planet in a massive spaceship fitted out to travel for generations, taking with it all the basics in supplies and information that the travelers would need to start again after the earth thawed from its nuclear winter. An agrarian society, Mir was a place of peace where everyone had a job of their choice to do. The Council (known by all) met every month to see that things went well and the Watchers (two men and two women known only by one another) worked to quietly oversee the safety of Mir. When a young boy saw a friend carrying something impossibly heavy and strange looking on his scooter, he expressed his concern to his friend the blacksmith (a watcher). His friend calmed the boy down, but he himself was concerned, reminded of the time of darkness. Soon two incidents of memory loss and extreme violence occurred, and it was clear that something bad had come to Mir. It took two children and a strange pale little man to literally unearth and solve the problem and return Mir to peace.
