This book is a collection of eight diverse short stories. A member of staff at an old people's home suspects a dementia-suffering inhabitant is a renowned murderer. The relationship between two best friends is put under intolerable strain. After being struck by lightning a hitman suffers a series of bizarre hallucinations. A returning seaman struggles to come to terms with retiring to a land-bound life. A prisoner's correspondence to his girlfriend is manipulated. Progress takes the seed of humanity to colonise far galaxies, but primitive instincts endure. Two strangers find themselves stranded on a chair lift in sub-zero temperatures. An author writes a surprising letter to his agent.