A collection of love stories in the broadest sense, exploring the boundaries between self and others, the half-light of betrayal, the darkness of ethnic and racial tensions and the love between parents and child.

The eight stories in this collection explore the boundary conditions between self and others. Social realities-racial and ethnic tensions, sexual harassment and abuse-provide the backdrop for struggles that ultimately take place in the heart. While Naslund's characters accept that their inner tides cannot be brought into obedience, sometimes, in the act of recognizing the force of their own hopes, needs, and fears, they learn to navigate those waters.