Set in the United States and London, this debut collection introduces us to a cast of characters, some anguished in their pursuit of impractical dreams, others struggling to make sense of their failures. A mathematician who has forsaken everything in order to prove a theory; an older woman author achieving fame late in life; a guilt-ridden mother struggling to impress her teenage daughter; an unhappy lawyer attempting to survive a corporate retreat with dignity—all are ambitious and passionate, but to their dismay find themselves at odds with the pattern of their lives. Attempting to make a new beginning or heal a hurt, they are thwarted by embarrassing impulsiveness or a sudden lack of faith.