These twelve original stories explore oblique and unexpected facets of contemporary life. The title story features a comedian whose act doesn't go quite the way he planned. In The Pillar of Strength', a woman discovers that her husband of thirty-nine years is gay when he is arrested by the police. In The Fig-leaf', a man who has sympathised with women's sexual vulnerability discovers for himself the truth behind date-rape. Contentment' gives a new slant on the choices people make in their sexual lives. And a marriage of convenience' - between a gay man who wants to please his parents and a lesbian whose visa is about to run out - takes a highly unexpected turn.