This story collection is a journey into the human mind, from prehistory to our globalized times. One story follows a Neanderthal girl as she attempts to flee human tribes (“My Big Man”), while another offers a glimpse into the friendship of three girls during the Great Depression (“Painted Snails”). In one story, a boy disappears into a cloud (Stolen Light). In another, a boy’s mother attempts to uncover the secret of his molestation (“Away from the Flock”). In one story, a horse lies dying at the outskirts of a modern city (“Valley of the Horse”), while in another, a strange bird formation foretells a woman reaching the end of her life (“Whirl of Birds”). One story addresses religious sects (“At Taft Point”), one peeks into the life of an animal hoarder (“The Return”), while another explores the seductive power of art (“Mahogany”). There is a fake Iraq veteran lying his way into a relationship with a single mother (“Drifters”), and an old man who paints the women with whom he has affairs (“Rabbit in the Hat”). Some stories have a slight element of magical realism (“Valley of the Horse” and “Whirl of Birds”), while in one story a telephone inside a radio station randomly produces a time travel event (“Sound Waves”). One story is a metaphor for communism in Eastern Europe (“Puppet Show”), while another is a political satire involving cats (“Prodigal”).