The protagonists of these four short stories seem, at first glance, to have nothing in common -- a reclusive college student struggling to understand a suicide; a shy, fatherless boy stumbling through piano lessons; a drug addict whose most salient relationship is with a dog; a prudish teacher coming to terms with her incarcerated brother -- but some common themes bind these seemingly disparate lives together. All these characters attempt to understand the role of longing and desire in their lives -- how longing and desire equally beckon and frighten them. This collection explores various manifestations of masochism, its potential to hinder and yet define people, and its potential to be, sometimes, overcome.