Passing like "ships in the night," we never realize just how much we influence other people. In a series of 14 short stories, the book emphasizes the significance of our encounters with others. Sometimes the influence is positive, with far-reaching effects. Sometimes the contact may be destructive, even evil. Yet lives are changed, altered in some fashion. The serial killer who lures his victims through old-fashioned snail mail, the doctor who must choose between his career and marriage, the girl who draws a paper piano and becomes a concert pianist—these and other characters indicate just how a smile, a touch, or a slap can change the course of a life. The reader will meet a woman who abandons her twin sons in order to save their lives, an old man running an ancient grocery sons,and, a woman whose car wreck brings romance. The topics range from tragedy, romance, self-discover, rejection, mental illness, abuse and death. However, the overall theme remains that not only do we influence other people as we move through life, they can profoundly influence us as well.