It is 1985, and Greta Wells wishes she lived in any time but this one: she has lost her brother to AIDS, her lover Nathan to another woman, and can not seem to go on alone.To ease her sadness, her doctor suggest an unusual procedure, one that opens doors of insight into the relationships in her life, her conflicting affections, and the limitations put on a woman's life. Throughout, Greta glimpses versions of war, history, herself, and the people she loves, and as the procedures come to an end, she realizes she must make a choice: one which will close every door but one, forever.

Andrew Sean Greer is the author of the novels: The Story of a Marriage, The Confessions of MaxTivoli, and The Path ofMinor Planets, as well as the story collection How It Was for Me.He lives in San Francisco, California.