In the 1970's, Senator Temple and the heads of three very powerful families -- The Sheppards, The Kingsleys, and The Barrons -- pool their resources to conspire against a corrupt, powerful oil magnate, Jared Sanders. The one most likely to inherit the Kingsley and Barron businesses and lead them towards a more enlightened and progressive future is the idealistic Delilah Barrons. She will inherit everything if she consents to an arranged marriage between herself and one of the Kingsley Brothers.
Anna Colin Beck has a very structured life. She has obsessive-compulsive disorder, so her life is very regimented. Every place and room she is in must be spotless, so she brings cleaning equipment everywhere she goes. She is super sensitive toward certain physical senses, so she can't be near textures or strong odors such as perfume. Animals make her nervous, so she can't be near them.
Many people experience side effects from drugs and medical treatment, particularly from taking prescription drugs. Many end up in hospitals or overdose from properly prescribed drugs.
Stukanov conducted a study on the effects of prescription drugs. He sampled case studies of people of different ages, blood types, and medical conditions. He studied the effects the medicine had on them, offering solutions on how altered dosages improved patient's health and minimized potentially dangerous side effects.
Barbara Miller details the life of William Cooper (1860-1941), an activist for the rights of Australia's First Nations People, also known as the Aborigines.
Former actress and amateur detective Fay Hubbard works with a puppet theatre troupe for the creative but demanding Marion Valentini. Marion brings down the house with a performance of Sleeping Beauty but not for her performance skills nor her ability to construct the intricate puppets. She is found passed out near the puppet controls and dies in the hospital later.
