In this collection of sixteen of his short stories, Peter Marcus probes the minds of characters whose hopes, fears , imaginings and dreams encounter the turbulence of life. As much as they reside in the state of New YOrk, the characters are captive inhabitants of a state of mind. The war veteran who paints landscapes, the bodybuilder who lifts to live, the gumball machine inventor who dreams of a shopping mall paradise, the math teacher who experiences medieval visions, and the detective who investigates cult activities in abandoned buildings are some of the characters.