Wormhole technology has advanced to the point where information can be passed instantaneously between points in the spacetime continuum. The wormhole technology is first used to send digital information via gamma rays, then developed further to transmit light waves. The media corporation that develops this advance can spy on anyone, anywhere it chooses. A logical development from the laws of space-time allows light waves to be detected from the past. This enhances the wormhole technology into a "time viewer" where anyone opening a wormhole can view people and events from any point throughout time and space.

When the technology is released to the general public, it effectively destroys all secrecy and privacy. The novel examines the philosophical issues that arise from the world's population (increasingly suffering from ecological and political disturbances) being aware that they could be under constant observation by anyone, or that they could observe anyone without their knowledge. Anyone is able to observe the true past events of their families and their heroes. An underground forms which attempts to escape this observation; corruption and crime are drastically reduced; states discover the true causes and outcomes of international conflicts; and religions worldwide are forced to re-evaluate their divine histories. As the underground movement grows, it utilises a direct neural interface coupled with the unlimited communication provided by the wormhole technology to develop a group mind.

One of the central themes of the novel is that history is biased towards viewpoints of the person who wrote it. Hence many great "historical" events often did not occur as they now are collectively remembered. For example, during the book's progression, the time viewer technology shows that Jesus was the illegitimate son of a Roman centurion (although the apocryphal story of his visiting Great Britain is proven to be true), and that Moses was based on a collection of stories rather than the actions of a real person.

A time hole is opened to the beginning of life on Earth, and it is discovered that all existing life is descended from a biological sample placed by intelligent beings (labeled Sisyphans) who inhabited the Earth over three billion years ago, trying to preserve genetic samples when geological and climatic changes and a large bolide threatened an extinction level event.

By combining past viewing with neural sensing wormholes, scientists also find ways to copy the dead from the past and upload them to the present, achieving Nikolai Fedorov's vision of technological resurrection of the dead, bringing back to life all the dead from the past.

The film tells the story of the experiences of Major Syrtis during the first Christmas on a newly colonized Mars.

The main character, Major Syrtis (played by Steven Drozd), is trying to organise a Christmas pageant to celebrate the birth of the first colonist baby. Coyne explains that this birth is also special for other reasons,

Major Syrtis finds an unlikely ally in Coyne's strange and mysterious character, a "Martian that lands, but the Martian isn't really perceived as a Martian. People just sort of think he's another crazy guy who's flipped and turned himself green. They can't find a quick replacement for Santa so they just use this Martian guy. So the Martian guy becomes the Martian and Santa Claus at the same time."

The series follows the adventure of Cole Evans, who had been staying with a tribe in a jungle for many years, as he tries to find his destiny in the town of Turtle Cove. He encounters the Animarium, an island shaped like a turtle floating in the sky, which many believed to exist only in fairy tales, and is the home of the Wild Zords, and the Rangers' mentor, Princess Shayla. He joins four other Rangers and becomes the new leader of the ''Wild Force Power Rangers''.

The Power Rangers use their powers to defeat the forces of the Orgs, led by one Master Org. As Cole was fond of other animals, he was shocked to discover that the Orgs were literally heartless horned monsters. As the series continues, he finds out the truth about his real parents, Richard and Elizabeth Evans, who were professors at Turtle Cove University, along with a family friend, Dr. Viktor Adler, who was secretly in love with Elizabeth. When they were sent to the jungle for research, they discover the remains of Master Org, in which a jealous Adler consumes in order to exact revenge on Richard, who had proposed to Elizabeth before he could. However, Adler goes insane, and kills both Richard and Elizabeth. For a while, their newborn son, Cole, was also presumed dead.

In addition to the annual team-up episodes, ''Power Rangers Wild Force'' also had a special episode commemorating it as the tenth incarnation, ''Forever Red'', by having Cole team up with the nine Red Rangers before him (Jason Lee Scott, Aurico, Tommy Oliver, T.J. Johnson, Andros, Leo Corbett, Carter Grayson, Wes Collins and Eric Myers) to prevent the remaining generals of the Machine Empire from unearthing and reactivating Lord Zedd's Zord, Serpentera, which had been left buried on the moon.

The Animarium reappeared during ''Power Rangers Super Megaforce'' in "A Lion's Alliance".

In the year 3000, Time Force is a police agency that deals with the crimes of mutants, outcasts of society who have developed super powers. Ransik, one of the most dangerous of the mutants, is arrested and sentenced to life for his crimes including murder and the plan to travel back in time to take over the world. However, after sentencing, he escapes and manages to go back in time to 2001, but seemingly kills Alex, the Red Time Force Ranger, in the process. Alex's fiancée Jennifer "Jen" Scotts, as well as Time Force members Lucas Kendall, Katie Walker, and Trip Regis, decide to break protocol and go back in time after Ransik. However, upon arriving in 2001, they find that the rest of their Chrono Morphers are locked, and cannot be used until someone with Alex's DNA uses the Red Ranger morpher. To that end, they travel to the town of Silver Hills, Washington, and find Alex's ancestor Wes Collins, the son of a billionaire tech businessman, who unlocks the morphers and then helps them battle Ransik's army of mutants as the Time Force Power Rangers. However, Wes does not initially see eye-to-eye with Jen, who is still upset over Alex's death.

As Ransik continues his quest for total domination of Earth, archaeologists discover a box that, unknown to them, contains the Quantum Ranger morpher and powers. Both Ransik and the Rangers are well aware of its contents, and make attempts to retrieve it. The box eventually falls into the hand of Eric Myers, a member of the Silver Guardians, the city's police force managed by Wes' father, Albert Collins, and Wes' old rival. Eric activates the power, and becomes the Quantum Ranger. Eric, however, becomes cocky and irresponsible with his power, forcing Wes and the Rangers to try to get it back from him; however, Eric defeated them and he kept his powers. Soon he learns the responsibility of using the Quantum Powers and becomes the leader of the Silver Guardians as the Quantum Ranger, and becomes an ally to the Rangers.

Eventually, the Rangers begin receiving help from an unseen ally from the future in the form of the Time Shadow Megazord. Soon, this ally arrives in 2001 and reveals himself to be Alex, stating that he is alive because something the Rangers have done in the present has altered the future, and that he has returned to fix it. Alex reveals to Wes what was meant to happen in the original timeline and encourages him to take action to set it right. Wes reluctantly agrees, and relinquishes control of his morpher to Alex so he can take care of his father's business while his father lays gravely injured in the hospital. Alex then briefly leads the team, but his relationship with the Rangers becomes strained when they realize Alex has changed. Alex eventually realizes that Wes is the true Red Ranger and having destroyed his relationship with Jen, returns the morpher.

When Ransik makes his final assault on Earth, with a powerful army in large amounts, Alex orders the Rangers to return to the future, for fear that if they hesitate, they may not be able to return at all. Wes, however, would have to remain behind. The Rangers refuse, and fight Ransik alongside Wes, who, knowing his friends can't stay, forces them into returning to 3000, leaving only himself and Eric to stop Ransik, or die trying. When the Rangers return to the future, they learn that Silver Hills was saved, but Wes died in the process. The Rangers are ordered to have their minds erased of their memories from 2001, and encouraged to resume their lives. Angered, Jen returns Alex's engagement ring, and the Rangers return to 2001 to help Wes and Eric. During the final battle, Ransik accidentally injures his daughter Nadira and, traumatized over nearly killing her, surrenders to the Rangers. Right before the Rangers return Ransik and Nadira to the future, Wes and Jen, having soothed over their initially rocky relationship, profess their love for one another. As the Rangers depart, Wes stays behind with Eric to co-command the Silver Guardians.

Although the film does not have a linear plot, a structure exists, telling the same story from three different perspectives. At the beginning, Soderbergh speaks to the audience in a style meant to evoke Cecil B. DeMille's introduction to ''The Ten Commandments''.

Fletcher Munson is an office employee working under Theodore Azimuth Schwitters, the leader of a self-help company known as Eventualism. The first part of the film is seen from Fletcher's perspective, seeing the underlying meaning in everything. He pays more attention to meaning, rather than what is said. He shows less and less attention to other people, to the point where he comes home and communicates with his wife by describing what they are saying. When Fletcher's co-worker Lester Richards dies, Fletcher takes his job as speechwriter. His personal life suffers because of this. He becomes more detached from his wife, who copes by having an affair.

Meanwhile, Elmo Oxygen, an exterminator, goes from house to house, bedding the housewives who work for Schwitters. In each house he takes pictures of his genitals using cameras he finds. Elmo and the women speak in a nonsensical code. Fletcher's key will not work in his car door. He looks around to find that his actual car (parked two spots away) is an exact match for the one he is trying to get into. He goes to enter his car when he sees a man who is his exact double get into the car he just tried to enter. Fletcher follows his doppelgänger home, closes his eyes, and becomes him.

Next we follow Fletcher's doppelgänger, Dr. Jeffrey Korchek, a dentist. He always wears a jogging suit. He is also a fan of Muzak, and is the mystery man that Fletcher's wife has been sleeping with. Korchek suggests she leave Fletcher for him.

The next day, Korchek has breakfast with his heroin-addicted brother, who asks to stay with Korchek and for money. Korchek says that his brother should not be dealing with drug dealers and that he can get him drugs. Korchek goes to work, where he meets Attractive Woman Number 2, Mrs. Munson's doppelgänger. Korchek falls instantly in love and writes her a letter professing such. He leaves the note and goes home, where he sees a car in the driveway. It is Mrs. Munson, who has left Fletcher. Korchek admits that he has fallen in love with someone else. Mrs. Munson is upset and leaves.

The next day Korchek gets to work and is confronted by a man who says "Your brother, eight hours, fifteen thousand dollars." Almost all of his dialog consists of these three commands. Korchek goes into the office and finds a letter from a law firm representing Attractive Woman Number 2, who is filing a sexual harassment suit against him. He discovers that his brother has stolen all of his money. Korchek leaves work. Korchek is shot dead. A couple following Elmo approach him, to convince him to stop playing his role in the film, in order to become a star in an action show. Unlike the rest of the film, Elmo's storyline moves forward in time.

Finally we see the perspective of Mrs. Munson. We move through the storyline, seeing her experiences with Fletcher and Dr. Korchek and being a mom. The events are the same but Fletcher and Korchek speak foreign languages, similar to the "generic greetings" from earlier. Once Mrs. Munson leaves Korchek, she reconciles with Fletcher and they go home. Fletcher finishes Schwitters' speech. Schwitters mounts the podium and gives the oration. After acknowledging applause with a "Thank you," Elmo bursts in and shoots Schwitters in the shoulder. Schwitters survives and Elmo is arrested and interrogated.

In a shopping mall Munson narrates events from the rest of his life. Then, Soderbergh returns in front of a blank movie screen and asks if there are any questions. After offering several responses he walks offstage as the camera pulls back to reveal he's been talking to an empty auditorium. The film has no beginning or end credits. A man clad only in a black T-shirt appears at the beginning and conclusion of the film, being chased by men in white coats through a field. In the beginning, the T-shirt sports the title of the film; later, it says "The End."

At a meeting of the Astronomy Club, its president, Professor Barbenfouillis, proposes an expedition to the Moon. After addressing some dissent, five other brave astronomers—Nostradamus, Alcofrisbas, Omega, Micromegas, and Parafaragaramus—agree to the plan. A space capsule in the shape of a bullet is built, along with a huge cannon to shoot it into space. The astronomers embark and their capsule is fired from the cannon with the help of "marines", most of whom are played by a bevy of young women in sailors' outfits. The Man in the Moon watches the capsule as it approaches, and, in an iconic shot, it hits him in the eye.

Landing safely on the Moon, the astronomers get out of the capsule (without the need of space suits or breathing apparatus) and watch the Earth rise in the distance. Exhausted by their journey, they unroll their blankets and sleep. As they sleep, a comet passes, the Big Dipper appears with human faces peering out of each star, old Saturn leans out of a window in his ringed planet, and Phoebe, goddess of the Moon, appears seated in a crescent-moon swing. Phoebe causes a snowfall that awakens the astronomers, and they seek shelter in a cavern where they discover giant mushrooms. One astronomer opens his umbrella; it promptly takes root and turns into a giant mushroom itself.

At this point, a Selenite (an insectoid alien inhabitant of the Moon, named after one of the Greek moon goddesses, Selene) appears, but it is killed easily by an astronomer, as the creatures explode if they are hit with force. More Selenites appear and it becomes increasingly difficult for the astronomers to destroy them as they are surrounded. The Selenites capture the astronomers and take them to the palace of their king. An astronomer lifts the Selenite King off his throne and throws him to the ground, causing him to explode.

The astronomers run back to their capsule while continuing to hit the pursuing Selenites, and five get inside. The sixth astronomer, Barbenfouillis himself, uses a rope to tip the capsule over a ledge on the Moon and into space. A Selenite tries to seize the capsule at the last minute. Astronomer, capsule, and Selenite fall through space and land in an ocean on Earth, where they are rescued by a ship and towed ashore. The final sequence (missing from some prints of the film) depicts a celebratory parade in honour of the travellers' return, including a display of the captive Selenite and the unveiling of a commemorative statue bearing the motto "Labor omnia vincit".

The film begins with a reenactment of the gruesome act of cannibalism described by the prosecuting attorney during Alferd Packer's 1883 trial. During this sensationalized account, a haggard Packer (played by Trey Parker) repeatedly insists that was not how it happened. During a break in the trial, Packer is enticed by journalist Polly Pry to tell his side of the story, which he proceeds to do, via flashback. He opens his tale with better times, galloping freely over green fields on his trusty horse Liane ("Shpadoinkle").

In 1873, Packer was part of a group of miners in Bingham Canyon, Utah who hear of new prospects in Breckenridge. Together, the small group decide to travel together into Colorado Territory to stake a claim. Packer is appointed as the replacement for the original guide, since he claimed knowledge of the area ("Shpadoinkle [Reprise]"). He and Liane set off on what Packer estimates will be a three-week journey with a party of five miners: Shannon Wilson Bell, an aspiring Mormon priest; James Humphrey, who was forced by his father to join the party; Frank Miller, a cynical butcher who reluctantly joins their party at the mine; George Noon, a teenager hoping to meet women in Breckenridge; and Israel Swan, an optimist.

Four weeks later, while attempting to visit Provo for supplies they become convinced they are lost. An attempt to ask a local for directions to Provo proves unsuccessful, with the local warning them of impending doom awaiting them in the mountains. Finally arriving at a frontier post in Provo, they run into a group of three fur trappers bound for Saguache; O.D. Loutzenheiser, Preston Nutter, and their diminutive leader, Jean "Frenchy" Cabazon. The trappers despise the miners, whom they contemptuously call "diggers", yet seem to like Packer's Arabian horse, telling Packer that she's a "trapper horse". Making camp, Packer and company reveal their goals for traveling to each other in song ("That's All I'm Asking For"). The next day, Packer wakes up to discover his horse and friend, Liane, is missing. After Bell wounds his leg in a bear trap, the men attempt to cross the Green River near the Utah border. They camp out for the night after their crossing, with Packer singing a heartfelt song about Liane ("When I Was On Top of You"). Eventually, after a disastrous crossing of the Colorado River the Packer party is spotted by two "Nihonjin" Indians (obviously played by Japanese actors and speaking Japanese). They are taken back to the tribe's encampment near Delta where the chief warns them of a winter storm, allowing them to wait it out with the tribe. Packer's party also find the trappers camping out with the tribe, who proceed to brag about their lives in song ("Trapper Song"), but then argue over the key of said song before a small altercation breaks out over Liane, whose feedbag Packer finds in their possession.

In the present time, Packer is sentenced to death by hanging, with his execution to occur in Lake City. That night, alone, Polly muses over the case and Packer's testimony, and she reveals her growing affection for him through song ("This Side of Me"). The next day, Polly visits Packer once again in prison, where he continues his story.

The men set out in the wilderness and begin to suspect that Packer is really only interested in following the trappers to find his horse, and Bell's temper begins to shorten as his wound from the bear trap becomes infected and develops gangrene. They encounter a foreboding "Cyclops", a tall mountain man with a wounded, pus-spurting eye, while unwittingly trying to steal one of his sheep for sustenance. Later, the badly frostbitten Swan tries to cheer everybody up with a song about building a snowman, only for Miller to destroy Swan's snowman with a pickaxe ("Let's Build a Snowman"). They soon run out of food, resorting to eating their shoes as they become lost in the snow-covered Rocky Mountains. Out of frustration, Bell shoots Swan in the head while in the middle of a song, because he does not appreciate his (Swan's) Pollyanna-esque perspective on their predicament ("Let's Build a Snowman [Reprise]"). The men discuss their dire situation that night over the fire, speaking of the cannibalism that the Donner Party had to resort to in California. They decide to consume the body of their dead companion (but "not [the] butt") as Miller cuts up Swan's body, and only Bell refuses to partake in the cannibalism. Packer then has a ballet-inspired nightmare involving himself, Liane, and Cabazon. After a few more days, the party loses hope, which leads to talk of sacrificing one of their own ("That's All I'm Asking For [Reprise]"). Packer convinces them for one more chance for a scouting trip, but when he returns, Bell has killed the others, claiming they planned to kill and eat him after Packer left. Packer is forced to throw a cleaver at Bell, seemingly killing him, after threatening to turn him in, realizing he has gone insane. He is then forced to cannibalize the others to wait out the rest of the winter.

Arriving in Saguache sometime later, Packer finds Liane, who has taken to Cabazon, upsetting Packer. The sheriff of Saguache, suspicious of Packer arriving without the rest of his party, eventually finds out the fate of the other members and attempts to arrest Packer for cannibalism at a saloon. A bar-fight between Packer and the trappers (and some of the bar patrons, including the Cyclops from earlier) occurs, which Packer wins after brutally attacking Cabazon's groin using fighting techniques he learned from the Nihonjin chief, leaving Cabazon incapacitated with a high-pitched voice. Following this, Packer attempts to flee to Wyoming, only to later be arrested there and brought back to Colorado to await judgment. On the day of Packer's execution in Lake City, the town breaks into song, celebrating Packer's impending death ("Hang the Bastard"). However, he is saved at the last minute by Polly, who arrives on the scene with Liane. Polly reveals that Packer had gotten a stay of execution from the governor stating that he could not be convicted of a state crime since Colorado was not a state at the time of the incident. Meanwhile, Cabazon, whose voice is still high pitched and wants revenge against Packer for their fight in Saguache, states the townsfolk came to see bloodshed and tries to trigger the gallows. The Nihonjin chief saves Packer by cutting his rope with a katana before beheading Cabazon, satisfying the crowd's blood-lust. Packer, seeing that Polly brought back Liane, realizes he does not need her anymore and chooses Polly (much to the excitement of the chief, who takes off after Liane with his katana), and the two kiss ("Shpadoinkle [Finale]"), only to be frightened by a still-alive but badly maimed Bell.

NYPD Lieutenant Nick Chen is head of the Asian Gang Unit. His job is to keep the peace in Chinatown from a turf war that has broken out between the Tung Fung Benevolent Association tong and the Fukienese Dragons street gang. The problem is complicated by the fact that he is also an informant for the Tongs under Uncle Benny Wong and his lieutenant Henry Lee. After a bombing in Chinatown, Chen is reluctantly teamed up with Danny Wallace, who is unaware of Chen's corruption. Danny was also secretly tasked by Internal Affairs to monitor Chen. Danny lied to Chen and the Asian Gang Unit by claiming that he took the job as a means to quickly gain his detective shield.

During a police raid on a Fukienese whorehouse, Chen saves Wallace's life. Wallace, knowing that his life is now in Chen's hands, initiates a bust on a drug operation, not knowing that an undercover FBI agent was involved. After being berated by the FBI for interfering with an ongoing investigation, Wallace is introduced to Lee. Lee discusses the potential value of having another cop in the AGU on the Tong payroll, which Uncle Benny allows. Benny is able to lure Wallace into working for him by tipping him off to an underground prostitution ring. Wallace is given a commendation for valor, but Chen now suspects that Wallace is working for the Tongs.

Wallace and Chen inadvertently cross paths, throwing their initial trust for each other out the window and putting the intentions of Lee into question. Chen hates the Fukienese, but neither he nor Danny know that Lee is forming a partnership with their leader Bobby Vu. Both Lee and Vu know that there is an FBI agent undercover in their drug operation and decide to kill him.

While monitoring a drug operation, Wallace and Chen witness a violent confrontation with a Tong hit squad that leads to Chen getting berated for botching the FBI investigation. After the incident, both Wallace and Chen swear not to talk to the FBI without talking to each other first. The FBI finds out Wallace's real reason for joining the AGU and threaten to expose him unless he is willing to spy on Chen. When one of Chen's informants witnesses Vu's assassination of Uncle Benny, Chen alerts the DA, who intends to indict the Tongs under RICO. The DA, the FBI, and both Wallace and Chen decide that they want to catch Vu in the act and decide to hold off on the arrests.

Lee chooses to alert Chen of Wallace's real identity and job. During the nighttime operation, Chen draws his gun on Wallace in anger. Wallace reasons with Chen and the two fight the Dragons, killing most of them. Chen pushes Wallace out of the way and is fatally shot by Vu. Wallace then shoots Vu. While at the hospital, Wallace refuses to withdraw his original statement that Chen died a good cop. Later, Wallace leads the arrest of Lee. Chen is then given a hero's funeral with Wallace in the procession.

Twenty astronauts aboard an interstellar "ramship" colonized the Smoke Ring five hundred years before the story begins. Their descendants have adapted their cultures to the free-fall environment. Without gravity, even those who live in integral tree tufts are much taller than Earth-average humans, having grown up in much weaker tides. Many people are able to use their longer, prehensile toes as another set of fingers. The small number of devices left from the original crew are coveted items in Smoke Ring societies.

Quinn Tribe inhabits the "in tuft" of Dalton-Quinn tree. They normally subsist on the tree's cottony foliage, augmented by hunting and a flock of domesticated turkeys. But since the tree passed near Gold six earth years ago it has been falling toward Voy, nearly dropping out of the Smoke Ring. As a result, the tribe suffers a severe drought. The tribe's leader, the Chairman, decides to send a party of nine up the tree, ostensibly to hunt and re-cut tribal markings into the trunk. The group consists mostly of people with disability and people the Chairman dislikes, including the Chairman's son-in-law (and rival) Clave, and Jeffer, the Scientist's apprentice.

When they approach the midpoint they notice that the tribal markings are different; upon reaching it, they are attacked by members of the Dalton-Quinn tribe who live at the other end of the tree. During the battle a massive tremor splits the tree in half, causing the in tuft to fall farther toward Voy (killing its inhabitants) and allowing the out tuft to find a new equilibrium that is closer to the Smoke Ring's median. The seven surviving members of the Quinn Tribe and one of the attackers jump clear of the shattered tree and are left adrift in the sky with only a few "jet pods" (high pressure seed cases that provide a temporary thrust when opened) as their only method of propulsion.

Before dying of thirst, they hook a passing "moby" (a flying whale-like creature) which takes them to a "jungle," which is a floating mass of plant life. They cut loose, crash, and find themselves in the middle of a battle between the Carther States, who live in the jungle, and slave-runners from London Tree. The group is split when six of them are captured by the slavers; the other two remain in the jungle.

Carther States counter-attacks some weeks later, and the Quinn Tribe group is reunited. During the battle they steal London Tree's CARM (Cargo And Repair Module), a small spacecraft—a relic of the original settlers. The CARM is still functional due to careful management and its robust design; its solar panels provide electricity to electrolyze water into hydrogen and oxygen, which it stores automatically and then burns for propulsion as needed. London Tree's "Navy", bow- and spear-armed warriors, use the CARM to conduct long-distance military actions and slave raids on a scale impossible for wingless humans in a zero-g environment.

Not fully understanding how to pilot the CARM, the Quinn and Carther warriors engage its main rocket motor, which accelerates the ship at several ''g'', enough to prevent the crew from reaching the controls to turn the motor off. The CARM is propelled up into the thinnest part of the gas torus before running dangerously low on fuel. As a result, they become the first Smoke Ring inhabitants in centuries to see the naked stars.

Unknown to any of the inhabitants of the Smoke Ring, ''Discipline,'' the ship in which their ancestors arrived, remains in orbit, and its AI autopilot, Kendy, has been attempting to watch their progress. When Kendy sees the CARM dangerously far from the habitable area of the Ring he contacts them. With help from the on-board computer and after some interaction with Kendy, the occupants of the CARM eventually safely return to the Smoke Ring. Unable to reach any of the trees that they know, they decide to settle on a new tree, which they dub "Citizens' Tree".

In 1952, Ed Wood is struggling to enter the film industry. Upon hearing of an announcement in ''Variety'' magazine that producer George Weiss is trying to purchase Christine Jorgensen's life story, Ed meets with Weiss to direct a now fictionalized film titled ''I Changed My Sex!'' but is not hired. Ed then meets his longtime idol, horror film actor Bela Lugosi, with whom he becomes friends. Ed persuades Weiss to let him direct the film by convincing him that having a star in the film would sell tickets, and they could sign Lugosi for a low price. During production for ''Glen or Glenda'', Ed and Weiss argue over the film's title and subject matter but Weiss eventually plays by Ed's rules, albeit reluctantly. Filming gets going, with the story now about a transvestite. Ed takes to film production with an unusual approach; shooting only one take per scene, giving actors very little direction and using stock footage to fill in gaps. The movie is released to critical and commercial failure, preventing Ed from getting work at Weiss' Screen Classics or making a partnership with Warner Bros. executive Feldman. On the advice of his girlfriend, Dolores Fuller, Ed decides to finance his next film independently. Ed is unsuccessful in finding money for ''Bride of the Atom'', but is introduced to a psychic called The Amazing Criswell who gives him advice on how to sell himself better. During this time, Ed has discovered that Lugosi has developed a morphine addiction.

Ed meets Loretta King, whom he mistakes for a wealthy heiress and asks her to fund the film and ends up casting her as the lead instead of Fuller as planned with Fuller being assigned a more menial role. Filming begins, but is halted when it is revealed that Loretta is actually poor, so Ed convinces meat packing industry tycoon Don McCoy to continue funding the film, who agrees as long as his son is cast as the lead and the film ends with an explosion. When filming wraps up, with the title being changed to ''Bride of the Monster'', Dolores breaks up with Ed after the wrap party because of his circle of misfit friends. Lugosi attempts to conduct a double suicide with Ed after the government cuts off his unemployment benefit, but is talked out of it. Lugosi checks himself into rehab to cure his drug addiction, and Ed meets Kathy O'Hara, who is visiting her father there. He takes her on a date and reveals to her his transvestism, which she accepts. After Lugosi is checked out of rehab, he and Ed shoot a film with Lugosi outside his home. Ed and company (along with TV horror icon Vampira) attend the premiere for ''Bride of the Monster'', where an angry mob chases them out of the theater.

Afterwards, Lugosi passes away, leaving Ed without a star. After learning that his landlord's church is struggling to produce a series of religious films about the twelve apostles, Ed convinces him to allow his church to fund his script for a sci-fi film, ''Grave Robbers from Outer Space'', which could result in a box-office success and generate enough money for Reynolds' dream project. Ed hires Vampira and Kathy's chiropractor Dr. Tom Mason to star in the film (the latter being a stand in for Lugosi) and also has conflicts with the Baptists over the title, script content and Ed's B movie directing style, eventually renaming the film ''Plan 9 from Outer Space''. Ed soon leaves the set out of frustration to go to the nearest bar, where he has an encounter with filmmaker Orson Welles, who rekindles Ed's inspiration by advising him to assert his vision and resist artistic changes imposed onto him by sponsors. Filming finishes with Ed taking action against his producers' wishes. After attending the premiere, Ed and Kathy go to Las Vegas to get married.

Victor Frankenstein (played by Barret Oliver) is a young boy who creates movies starring his dog, Sparky (a Bull Terrier, whose name is a reference to the use of electricity in the film). After Sparky is hit by a car and killed, Victor learns at school about electrical impulses in muscles and is inspired to bring his pet back to life. He creates elaborate machines which bring down a bolt of lightning that revives the dog. Victor is pleased, but when the Frankensteins decide to introduce the revitalized Sparky to his neighbors, they become angry and terrified.

Sparky runs away, with Victor in pursuit. They find themselves at a local miniature golf course and hide in its flagship windmill. The Frankensteins' neighbors, now an angry mob, arrive on the scene, and when they attempt to use a cigarette lighter to try to see in the windmill, it is accidentally set on fire. Victor falls and is knocked out, but Sparky rescues him from the flames, only to be crushed by the windmill. The mob of neighbors, realizing their error, use their cars and jumper cables to "recharge" Sparky. He is revived, and all celebrate. Sparky falls in love with a poodle whose fur bears a strong resemblance to the hairdo of the Bride of Frankenstein and the film ends with Sparky's electricity making the words, "The End" and it becomes still.

Richard "King" Howland is a swaggering land baron living on the Big Island of Hawaii. He objects when his sister, Sloan Howland, announces she plans to marry Paul Kahana, a native Hawaiian, though Richard is having a torrid affair with an Asian woman, Mai Chen. During Sloan and Paul's engagement party, Mai Chen's brother attacks Richard with a knife. Paul tries to break up the fight and is killed. Bitter at her brother for Paul's death, Sloan runs off to Honolulu, where she is taken in by Paul's brother, Dean, and his family.

Meanwhile, Mai Chen gives birth to Richard's child, but dies during childbirth. Richard refuses to accept the child, so Sloan takes it upon herself to care for the baby. After an angry fight with Sloan and Dean, Richard is confronted with a personal dilemma—whether to continue on with his close-minded ways or to welcome his newborn son into his family.

Although the story is based on the novel by Peter Gilman, the screenplay by Marguerite Roberts makes several significant changes in Gilman's story. Several characters are eliminated, including Richard's father, Richard's wife, and his ''hapa haole'' (half-Hawaiian/half white) half-brother. Roberts also changed the ending of the story.

Newland Archer, gentleman lawyer and heir of one of New York City's most illustrious families, happily anticipates his highly desirable marriage to the sheltered and beautiful May Welland. Yet he finds reason to doubt his choice of bride after the appearance of Countess Ellen Olenska, May's exotic and beautiful cousin. Olenska strikes Archer as the opposite of the innocent and ignorant May Welland. Ellen has returned to New York from Europe after scandalously separating herself (per rumor) from a disastrous marriage to a Polish count. At first, Ellen's arrival and its potential taint on the reputation of his bride-to-be's family disturbs Newland, but he becomes intrigued by the worldly Ellen, who brazenly flouts New York society's fastidious rules. As Newland's admiration for the countess grows, so do his doubts about marrying May, a perfect product of Old New York society; his match with May no longer seems the ideal fate he had imagined.

Ellen's decision to divorce Count Olenski causes a social crisis for the other members of her family, who are terrified of scandal and disgrace. Living apart can be tolerated, but divorce is unacceptable. To save the Welland family's reputation, a law partner of Newland asks him to dissuade Countess Olenska from going through with the divorce. He succeeds, but in the process comes to care for her. Afraid of falling in love with Ellen, Newland begs May to elope and accelerate their wedding date, but she refuses.

Some weeks later, Newland tells Ellen he loves her; Ellen corresponds, but is horrified that their love will hurt May, so does not want him to leave May for her. Newland receives May's telegram agreeing to wed sooner.

Newland and May marry. He tries unsuccessfully to forget Ellen. His society marriage is mediocre, and the social life he once found absorbing has become empty and joyless. Though Ellen lives in Washington and has remained distant, he is unable to cease loving her. Their paths cross while he and May are in Newport, Rhode Island. Newland discovers that Count Olenski wishes Ellen to return to him, but she has refused, although her family wants her to reconcile with her husband and return to Europe. Frustrated by her independence, the family has cut off her money, as the count had already done.

Newland desperately seeks a way to leave May and be with Ellen, obsessed with how to finally be with her. Despairing of ever making Ellen his wife, he urges her to run away with him, but she refuses. Then Ellen is recalled to New York City to care for her sick grandmother, who accepts her decision to remain separated and agrees to reinstate her allowance.

Back in New York and under renewed pressure from Newland, Ellen relents and agrees to meet with him in secret to consummate their relationship. Shortly after their conversation, however, Newland discovers that Ellen has instead decided to return to Europe. When May announces that she and Newland are throwing a farewell party for Ellen, Newland makes up his mind to abandon May and follow Ellen to Europe. That night, after the party, Newland resolves to tell May he is leaving her for Ellen. She interrupts him to tell him that she learned that morning that she is pregnant; she reveals that she had told Ellen of her pregnancy two weeks earlier, despite not being sure of it at the time. The implication is that May did so because she suspected the affair and that this is Ellen's reason for returning to Europe. Hopelessly trapped, Newland decides to remain with May and not to follow Ellen, surrendering his love for the sake of his child.

Twenty-six years later, after May's death, Newland and his eldest son are in Paris. The son, learning that his mother's cousin lives there, has arranged to visit Ellen in her Paris apartment. Newland is stunned at the prospect of seeing Ellen again. On arriving outside the apartment building, Newland sends up his son alone to meet Ellen, while he waits outside, watching the balcony of her apartment. Newland considers going up, but in the end decides not to; he walks back to his hotel without seeing her. Newland's final words about the love affair are "It's more real to me here than if I went up."

Despite some deviations, the book's historical framework is genuine and the fictional story is woven into real events. Many characters are historical figures, including Jeremi Wiśniowiecki and Bohdan Khmelnytsky (Polish: Bohdan Chmielnicki). Sienkiewicz researched memoirs and chronicles of the Polish nobility, or szlachta, for details on life in 17th-century Poland. The book was written, according to the author, "to lift up the heart" of the Polish nation in the unhappy period following the failed January Uprising during the era of the partitions of Poland. Thus it often favors epic plots and heroic scenes over historical accuracy. Nonetheless, Sienkiewicz's vivid language made it one of the most popular books about that particular place and era.

Chapters I–VIII

Jan Skrzetuski (Yan Skshetuski), lieutenant of the armoured regiment of Prince Jeremi Wiśniowiecki (Yeremi Vishnyevetski), gives assistance to Bohdan Zenobi Chmielnicki (first posing as Abdank) as his party are returning from a mission to the Khan through the Wilderness. At Czyhryn (Pol. Czehryń) the next day, Skrzetuski learns that Chmielnicki was escaping to the Sich. In a tavern he throws Czapliński (Chaplinski), a voluble under–starosta (and Chmielnicki's deadly enemy), out through the door. It is here that he also becomes acquainted with Zagłoba and the Lithuanian Podbipięta (Podbipienta), who wishes to join the service of Prince Jeremi in order to fulfil his family vow of cutting off the heads of three infidels, all at the same time with one blow.

On their way to Lubni, the party comes to the assistance of two women, one of whom is Helena Kurcewicz (Kurtsevich), returning to her aunt's home that really belongs to her. Jan's party are invited back to Rozlogi where Jan meets Bohun, a Cossack, adopted as a sixth son by the old princess (Helena's aunt). Bohun wants to pick a quarrel but is sent away and Jan is able to declare his love for Helena. Skrzetuski realizes the girl is being mistreated and denied her rights so gets the princess to promise Helena to him instead of Bohun or he will have Prince Jeremi help her recover home. The lieutenant finally arrives at Lubni and tells his comrades about his mission to the Crimea. Prince Jeremi returns and entertainments are laid on. To wile away the time, Skrzetuski fences with his friend, Michał Wołodyjowski (Volodyovski), and receives a response to his letter sent to Helena via Rzędzian (Jendzian), his assistant.

Revolution is now afoot. The prince decides to send an envoy, in a group led by Pan (Sir) Bychowiec (Bykhovets), to the Sich to find out about Chmielnicki. Jan persuades him to let him go in his place as he wants to see Helena and receives permission from the prince. He meets Helena once more at Rozlogi and then sets out for Czyhryn. Here, he meets Zaćwilichowski (Zatsvilikhovski), an old colonel, who says he expects revolt in the Ukraine. He also re-encounters Zagłoba who tells him that he has befriended Bohun. Further on his travels he decides to send Rzędzian with a message to Helena to flee the impending hordes. His party encounters some Cossacks and Tartars and a fight breaks out in which Jan's soldiers are slaughtered and he severely wounded. The alliance between the Cossacks and Tartars had been brokered by Chmielnicki, who understood that Cossacks, while having an excellent infantry, could not hope to match the Polish cavalry, the best in Europe. By combining Cossack infantry with Tartar cavalry, the uprising had balanced military force and a chance to beat the Polish army.

Chapters IX–XV

The messages to the friends in the court are discovered and two, Barabasz (Barabash) and Tatarczuk (Tatarchuk), are murdered by the Brotherhood of Cossacks. Tuhaj-bej (Tugay Bey), the Tartar leader, is given Jan as a ransom captive and news arrives that the Great Hetman, Mikołaj Potocki (Pototski), has sent his son Stefan (Stephen) with his army against the Brotherhood, so Chmielnicki is chosen as their leader. The Zaporojians and Tartars march out of the Sitch to meet the Poles marching from Czyhryn. Chmielnicki avoids besieging Kudak. Krzeszowski (Krechovski), a Cossack, is sent to support Potocki but is won over by talks with Chmielnicki and massacres the German mercenaries who refuse to support his betrayal. At Żółte Wody (Zhovti Vody) the Polish hussars become bogged down in the soft mud and cannot attack on the second day of the battle, so Chmielnicki wins it and another at Kruta Bałka (Krutaya Balka).

Chapters XVI–XXVII

Chmielnicki frees Jan to parley with the Prince. Skrzetuski passes through a devastated landscape to Czyhryn and then to Rozlogi, where he discovers that Helena has disappeared. He mistakenly believes that Helena has been spirited away by Bohun. In reality, after capturing Rzędzian and discovering Skrzetuski's plan to marry Helena, Bohun went immediately to Rozlogi to wed her. However, Zagłoba, who accompanied him, spirited her away after Bohun was wounded by Mikołaj (Nicholas), one of the old Princess' sons. Instead of heading for Lubni, they headed for Czerkasy but are caught between Bohun's force and Chmielnicki's advancing army. To disguise themselves Zagłoba pounces on an old blind minstrel and a young boy and steals their clothes. At a village named Demianówka (Demianovka), Zagłoba persuades the villagers to flee to Chmielnicki's force taking himself and Helena with them. Zagłoba eventually decides the safest place is on the right bank of the Dnieper and, just as they are crossing, Bohun's Cossacks appear at the river's bank but it is too late to stop the runaways.

Prince Jeremi's army arrives at Rozlogi and Skrzetuski is reunited with Wiśniowiecki. After returning to Lubni, preparations are made to march and Lubni is abandoned to its fate. They end up marching through the forests to Czernihów (Chernigov) where Chmielnicki attempts to burn the wood. They eventually cross the Dnieper and go through the Pripet Marshes, and reach the region of revolt where they wreak revenge on the Cossacks. The Brotherhood meet to determine how to respond and eventually Maksim Krzywonos (Krivonos) agrees to lead a 60,000 army to Machnówka (Makhnovka) to fight the Prince. His son besieges the castle but the Prince's hussars eventually crush the rebels.

Chapters XXVIII–XLV

Skrzetuski is dispatched to persuade some German infantry to the Prince Jeremi's side but they refuse. On his way back he attacks an outlaw camp and finds Zagłoba amongst them; he tells Jan Helena is safe in the castle in Bar. The Polish army passes Konstantynów (Konstantinoff) and halts at Rosołowce (Rosolovtsi) where they are now joined by the German infantry fleeing from Chmielnicki. Krzywonos arrives with his forces, the battle starts with single hand-to-hand combat, and Krzywonos is eventually defeated. Rzędzian is reunited with his master.

The King dies and a disputed succession takes place. Jeremi and his army rest at the castle of Zbaraż (Zbaraj) where, after much internal struggle, the Prince announces he will submit to the commanders appointed by the Commonwealth. Bohun captures Helena at Bar and hides her with a witch, Horpyna, at Horpyna's house. Helena threatens to stab herself when Bohun speaks to her about marriage, having tried to do so when she was captured at Bar. Skrzetuski and his colleagues go out to crush marauding bands. He is forced to split his force, putting parts of it under the command of Podbipięta, Wołodyjowski, and Zagłoba. Zagłoba is captured with his men by Bohun's Cossacks after they get drunk at a peasant wedding, but they are freed by Wołodyjowski and his troops.

The four Polish officers return to Jarmolińce (Yarmolintsi) and Zagłoba reveals that he overheard during his captivity that Helena is hidden somewhere between Jampol (Yampol) and Jahorlik (Yagorlik). Wierszułł (Vershul) arrives and reveals that the Poles, under Prince Dominik Zasławski, have been ignominiously defeated. They make for Lwów (Lviv), where Prince Jeremi is elected leader of the Commonwealth forces, and continue to Zamość (Zamost) and afterwards to Warsaw with his wife, Princess Gryzelda (Griselda). Wołodyjowski gets into a quarrel with Charłamp (Kharlamp) over Anusia Borzobohata. Kazimierz (Kazimir) and his brother Karol (Karl) are disputing the election, and the former is elected King. Zagłoba and Wołodyjowski also meet Bohun, travelling as an envoy, and Michał Wołodyjowski leaves him for dead in a duel.

XLVI–LVII

Chmielnicki's army is besieging Zamość but withdraws for peace negotiations. Zagłoba and Wołodyjowski now head to the castle and Wierszułł tells them that Skrzetuski is looking for Helena, travelling with some Armenian merchants to Jampol. A commission led by voivode Adam Kisiel (Kisel) is sent by the Commonwealth to negotiate with Chmielnicki, which Skrzetuski joins. The commission is rudely received by the Cossack hetman at Perejasław (Pereyaslav), despite giving him a baton from the King. Chmielnicki is pleased to see Jan and promises him 200 Cossack horsemen to accompany him to Kyiv (Kiev) and beyond.

An armistice is concluded but Cossack attacks continue. Skrzetuski is told during his search that Helena was murdered in a monastery with some nuns. He ends up with Prince Korecki at Korets, where he lies ill. Rzędzian reappears and tells Zagłoba that Helena is actually hidden in a ravine at the Waładynka river (Valea Adîncă), to which he was sent by Bohun after Bohun was wounded by Wołodyjowski. Wołodyjowski, Zagłoba and Rzędzian make for Waładynka, where they kill the witch and her servant Czeremis (Cheremis), and rescue Helena. Using Bohun's baton, they make for Zbaraż. Just before reaching it, they are pursued by Tartar horsemen. Rzędzian escapes with Helena into a wood, while the two officers make a last stand, only to be rescued by Kuszel (Kushel) and Roztworowski (Roztvorovski) with two thousand horsemen. All of the Crown forces in the Ukraine are assembled at Zbaraż, including Skrzetuski, and Jeremi finally arrives. At last, battle can take place between him and Chmielnicki.

In the ensuing fighting outside Zbaraż, Zagłoba is nearly captured by the Cossack leader Burłaj (Burlai), but instead kills his pursuer. The Cossacks are defeated, but Chmielnicki convinces the Khan to keep fighting by appealing to his pride.

LVIII–LXIII

The valiant Polish force continues to hold out against the Cossacks and Tartars. Huge assault towers are burnt to the ground by a sally led by Skrzetuski; in the action the Polish soldiers are nearly taken but are saved by the hussars. Chmielnicki summons Zaćwilichowski for negotiations but his monstrous demands are rejected by Prince Jeremi, so the fighting continues. Hunger sets in, and Longin decides to steal through the enemy's lines to tell the king of the army's plight. However, he is discovered after stumbling into some Tartar horse-herders and is killed by Tartar arrows after a last stand. His naked body is hung from an assault machine, which the Poles storm to cut him down so he can be given a military funeral.

Skrzetuski goes next and, working his way through the swamp, finally makes it through the tabor to Toporów (Toporov) and King Jan Kazimierz, who resolves to rescue Zbaraż. Skrzetuski falls seriously ill from his ordeal, but is nursed by Rzędzian, who tells him Helena is safe. The victorious Polish army returns to Toporów and Skrzetuski and his colleagues ride out to meet the lady of Sandomierz (Sandomir), in whose carriage Helena is travelling. Returning home, the whole happy party stops for a picnic at Grabowa (Grabovo) castle, which has been burnt, and Skrzetuski and his loved one are happily cheered by the soldiers.

On Amity Island, Martin Brody, famous for his role as the police chief and his heroism, has died from a heart attack. Martin's widow, Ellen, still lives in Amity, close to her younger son, Sean, and his fiancée, Tiffany. Sean works as a police deputy. When he is dispatched to clear a log from a buoy a few days before Christmas, a great white shark appears and tears his arm off. He screams for help, but the singing on land drowns out his cries. The shark sinks his boat and drags him underwater to his death.

Martin's older son, Michael, his wife, Carla, and their five-year-old daughter, Thea, come to Amity for the funeral. Michael is working in the Bahamas as a marine biologist and on his arrival, Ellen demands that he stop his work. Having just received his first grant, Michael is reluctant. Thea convinces Ellen to return to the Bahamas with them.

The pilot of their small plane, Hoagie, takes an interest in Ellen when he flies them back. Wanting to take her mind off her recent losses and finding herself attracted, she begins spending time with him. Michael introduces his mother to his colleague Jake and his wife Louisa, and they spend Christmas and New Year's together.

A few days later, Michael, Jake, and their crew encounter the shark, which followed the family from Amity. Jake is eager to research it because great white sharks have never been seen in the Bahamas due to the warm water. Michael asks him not to mention the shark to his family. During the day, Ellen can keep her mind off the shark, but at night she has nightmares of being attacked by it. She is also able to feel when the shark is about to attack one of her loved ones.

Jake decides to attach a device to the shark that can track it through its heartbeat. Using chum to attract it, Jake stabs the device's tracking pole into the shark's side. The next day, the shark ambushes and chases Michael through a sunken ship, and he narrowly escapes.

Thea goes on an inflatable banana boat with her friend Margaret and her mother. While Carla presents her new art sculpture, the shark attacks the back of the boat, killing Margaret's mother. After Thea is safe, Ellen boards Jake's boat to track down the shark, intending to kill it to save her family. After hearing about what happened, Michael confesses he knew about the shark, infuriating Carla.

Michael and Jake are flown by Hoagie to search for Ellen, and find the shark in pursuit of their boat. During the search, Hoagie explains to Michael about Ellen's belief that the shark that killed Sean is hunting her family. When they find her, Hoagie lands the plane on the water, ordering Michael and Jake to swim to the boat as the shark drags the plane and Hoagie underwater.

Hoagie escapes from the shark, and Jake and Michael hastily put together a device that emits electrical impulses. As Jake moves to the front of the boat, the shark lunges, giving it the chance to pull Jake under and maul him. Jake manages to get the device into the shark's mouth before he is taken underwater. Michael begins blasting the shark with the impulses, which drive it mad; it repeatedly jumps out of the water, roaring in pain.

Michael continues blasting the shark with the impulses, causing it to leap out of the water again. Ellen steers the sailboat towards the shark while thinking back to the shark's attack on Thea, Sean's death, and Martin defeating the first shark (despite not having witnessed the latter two). The broken bowsprit impales the shark. In the original version of the film that was screened in the U.S., the shark simply bleeds out and dies after being impaled. In the revised ending to the international theater and DVD versions, the impaling somehow causes the shark to immediately explode. In this "explosion" version of the ending, as the shark's corpse sinks to the bottom of the ocean (with re-used footage of the shark's corpse from the first film), Michael hears Jake calling for help, seriously injured but alive (Jake dies in the original cut). The four safely make it back to land. Hoagie then flies Ellen back to Amity Island.

The book opens with Sabriel raising a freshly killed rabbit from death. She is a young girl attending Wyverly College, an all-female boarding school in Ancelstierre. An undead creature enters the dormitory where Sabriel lives and frightens all of the girls. Sabriel, however, notices it is holding a satchel and is attempting to speak. She enters Death to see what it is and notices strings attached to it passing over the waterfall of the First Gate; a sign that the creature is under the control of a necromancer further in Death. It is very weak, but Sabriel makes out that it is a messenger bound by her father who is past the Seventh Gate of Death. She is instructed by her father (through the messenger) that she is to take on the role of Abhorsen and defeat Kerrigor (a powerful Free Magic necromancer) who is attempting to make his way back into Life to break the Charter which binds the Free Magic and thus destroy the Charter of the Old Kingdom. She retrieves the satchel which contains the Abhorsen's bandelier of bells, the Abhorsen's sword and a map of the Old Kingdom.

Having left her school, Sabriel crosses the Wall using papers given to her by her father. Her destination is Abhorsen's House, the home of her father. Near the wall, she meets a southern colonel and his troops. The soldiers are using brute force to stop hordes of Shadow Hands from dismantling the Wall and crossing over. The areas near the Wall are being evacuated and only those who are inhabitants of the Old Kingdom are allowed the cross.

As she continues her journey, Sabriel becomes aware that she is being stalked by a Mordicant, a powerful Dead creature. She is able to outrun the creature and reach the safety of Abhorsen's House, which is located on an island in the center of the river. (The Dead cannot cross fast and deep running water.)

Inside Abhorsen's house, Sabriel is able to rest and obtain food and other supplies, as well as armor. She also meets Mogget, a Free Magic construct who takes the form of a small white cat, wearing a collar with a powerful binding spell on it and a miniature Saraneth hanging from it. Mogget insists on accompanying her on her journey to find her father. Later, they look out over the walls surrounding the house and discover the Dead attempting to build a bridge. Sabriel performs a ritual to summon a flood of water and then flees the house by Paperwing (a magically propelled plane-like structure.) While in the air, Sabriel and Mogget are attacked by the Dead, and Sabriel loosens Mogget's collar to avoid a fatal crash. They fall into a sinkhole, where Mogget, in his unbound form, attempts to murder Sabriel. However, she is able to bind him anew with a ring given to her for that purpose.

The next day, Sabriel and Mogget walk through a tunnel to another sinkhole, which Mogget determines to be Holehallow, the historical burial place of the royal family. Each king is buried in a boat. Sabriel discovers that the figurehead on one of the boats is not a wooden carving but an actual man, who has been imprisoned in that form for two hundred years. The man tells Sabriel that he was a Royal Guard before his imprisonment, and asks to be called Touchstone (a jester's name) for reasons that remain cryptic.

Sabriel, Touchstone, and Mogget continue their journey, stopping to help rid a seaside village of a Dead creature. They obtain a boat there and sail up the coast of the Old Kingdom until they reach Belisaere, the capital. They find the Abhorsen in an underground reservoir in Belisaere, trapped in Death. Since he has stayed too long in Death, he cannot return for long, but with what little time he has left, the Abhorsen tells Sabriel about the evil known as Kerrigor. Kerrigor has risen far from Death and intends to wreak havoc in the Old Kingdom and Ancelstierre. Sabriel releases her father from Death, and once they emerge from Death, father and daughter part for the last time — he, to ring the bell Astarael (the sound of which throws everyone who hears it far into the realm of Death) and delay Kerrigor's havoc; and she, to save Touchstone by bringing him (and herself) as far away from Astarael's music as possible. To prevent him from losing to Death, she kisses him roughly in order to keep him focused on Life. In the process of ringing Astarael, Sabriel's father releases Mogget.

They succeed, but as long as Kerrigor's body is intact, he will rise from Death again and again. Sabriel and Touchstone use another Paperwing to bring them as close to the Wall as possible, and cross over to Ancelstierre to find Kerrigor's body, following the clairvoyant guidance of the Clayr twins Sanar and Ryelle. They find the body, and Sabriel finally defeats Kerrigor by binding him with Ranna and Mogget's collar.

She dies but the previous Abhorsens prevent her from crossing into Final Death as she cannot die without someone else to take her place as Abhorsen. She wakes up with Touchstone before her, and both Mogget and Kerrigor asleep, bound by Ranna (the first of seven necromantic bells that instills sleep and quiescence in those who hear it).

The renowned biochemist and geneticist Dr. Curien becomes obsessed with discovering the nature of life and death. While supported by the DBR Corporation and its own team of scientists, Curien's behaviour becomes more erratic and his experiments take a gruesome turn. The Curien Mansion in Europe, which serves as his home and laboratory, experiences an outbreak.

On December 18, 1998, AMS Agent Thomas Rogan receives a distress call from his fiancée Sophie Richards from the Curien Mansion. Rogan and his partner "G" fly to Europe and arrive at the estate, finding it overrun with undead creatures, which Curien unleashed. A mortally wounded man gives them a journal containing information about Curien's creations and their weaknesses. Rogan and G reach Sophie, only to witness her being carried away by a gargoyle-like creature called the Hangedman. They later find Sophie, before she is attacked by the Chariot, a heavily armoured mutant armed with a bardiche. After killing the mutant, Rogan and G attend to Sophie, who tells them they must stop Curien or else "something terrible will happen," before passing out. A furious Rogan goes after the Hangedman to the rooftops surrounding the courtyard. After a lengthy battle, Rogan and G shoot it down. The two eventually confront Curien who is protected by an armoured, spider-like creature called The Hermit. After killing it, Rogan and G continue to proceed.

Arriving at the mansion's laboratory, Curien unleashes his masterpiece, The Magician, a humanoid creature with pyrokinetic abilities. However, the Magician refuses to serve any master and mortally wounds its creator. Curien expresses his confusion regarding his creation's loyalty before succumbing to his injuries. Rogan and G battle the Magician until it explodes, and then they leave the mansion.

Endings

There are three different endings, with which one players see determined by their score rank. In what the developers called the "bad ending", Sophie is reanimated and becomes a zombie. What the developers have referred to as the "true ending" is only seen if the players get the highest rank: Sophie is alive, having survived her injuries. In the third ending, a far view of the mansion is shown and Sophie is absent (leaving it unknown if she survived or not).

Having learned of the prophecy regarding Lyra Belacqua, the Magisterium decides she must be killed to prevent a new fall. Lyra's ambitious and hardhearted mother, Mrs Coulter, hides her in a remote cave. In her drugged sleep, Lyra dreams of meeting her friend Roger in the land of the dead, and promises to help.

In the world of Cittàgazze the angels Balthamos and Baruch try to persuade Lyra's friend Will to take the subtle knife to Lord Asriel, whose army is preparing to fight the Magisterium, but Will insists on finding Lyra first. They are attacked by the archangel Metatron but escape to another world just in time with the help of the subtle knife. The angels explain that the very first angel to condense out of Dust had falsely claimed to be the creator, and had acquired great power as the Authority. Now aged, he dwells in an isolated citadel and has delegated most of his powers to his regent Metatron.

The physicist Mary Malone finds herself in a world of sapient creatures called mulefa. The trees they rely on have been dying, and she uses lacquer from their sap to construct a spyglass that allows her to see Dust. She discovers that it is streaming rapidly away, no longer able to provide the trees with nourishment.

Will meets Iorek Byrnison. Together they find Lyra's cave, arriving at the same time as the forces of the Magisterium. Will wakes Lyra and uses the knife to escape into another world, but when he loses concentration the knife breaks. Iorek uses his metalworking skills to repair it.

Lyra and Will travel to the world of the dead. Visitors are forced to leave their dæmons behind, causing Lyra and her dæmon Pantalaimon enormous pain. Will's dæmon, previously internal, now becomes visible. After finding Roger, they persuade the harpies that control the world to allow them to open a window so the dead can leave. The dead step through and joyfully dissolve, their atoms becoming one with the universe.

Asriel's army and the forces of the Magisterium join battle. Mrs Coulter, who has allied herself with Asriel, enters the Authority's citadel, tempts Metatron, and then betrays him. Mrs Coulter, Asriel and Metatron fall into an abyss and are destroyed. Lyra and Will free the Authority from a crystal litter in which he is being carried, and find him demented and powerless – so feeble that mere exposure to the wind causes his form to dissolve.

Lyra and Will escape with their dæmons to the mulefa world, where Mary tells them of her own past. Before becoming a physicist she had been a nun, but had lost her faith when she had fallen in love and realised that the nun's heaven was empty. Hearing her words, Lyra experiences new and strange sensations of her own. The next day, Lyra and Will set off to picnic in the wood. The couple kiss and confess their love for each other, and the Dust envelops them.

The witch Serafina Pekkala explains that each opened window between worlds creates a new spectre, and it is through those windows that Dust has been escaping. All existing windows must be closed, apart from the one leading from the world of the dead. Lyra and Will are devastated to learn that they must return to their respective worlds, as they cannot survive for long in any other. They promise each other that they will go to a bench in their respective Oxford Botanic Gardens every midsummer's day to remember.

They return, and the witches set about closing the windows. Will deliberately destroys the subtle knife. In her own world, Lyra finds that she has lost the ability to intuitively read her alethiometer. She decides to take up the academic study of alethiometry and, together with Pantalaimon who has now taken the permanent form of a pine marten, she resolves to build the Republic of Heaven.

Hugo Carmody, who became secretary to Lord Emsworth following the failure of ''The Hot Spot'', the night club he ran with Ronnie Fish, is conducting a secret affair with Millicent Threepwood, Emsworth's niece. They hide this from Lady Constance, who is distracted with worries that the book of memoirs her brother Galahad is writing will bring shame to the family.

Ronnie, meanwhile, is secretly engaged to Sue Brown, a chorus girl and an old friend of Hugo. When they run into Lady Constance in London one day, Ronnie introduces Sue as Myra Schoonmaker, an American heiress he and his mother Lady Julia recently met in Biarritz.

Ronnie travels to Blandings, where Baxter has just returned, called in by Lady Constance to steal the memoirs. Hoping to get money out of Lord Emsworth, his trustee, Ronnie claims to love pigs, but his uncle has seen him bouncing a tennis ball on the Empress' back, and is enraged. Ronnie, inspired, steals the pig, planning to return it and earn his uncle's gratitude, roping in Beach to help; they hide her in a cottage in the woods.

Hugo is sent to London to fetch a detective; the job is refused by Percy Pilbeam. Hugo takes Sue out dancing, but when Ronnie arrives at the club he sees Pilbeam, who admires Sue, sat at her table. Ronnie gets angry at Pilbeam, makes a scene, spends a night in jail, and in the morning snubs Sue, who he believes has betrayed him. Millicent, feeling the same about Hugo, breaks off their engagement also. Meanwhile, Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe, worrying about the memoirs, hires Pilbeam to retrieve them; Pilbeam agrees, realising he can use the pig-finding job to get into the castle.

Sue heads to Blandings, posing as Myra Schoonmaker. Just after her arrival, Mortimer Mason, Sue's employer, visits Galahad in the library to discuss the memoirs. He recognizes Sue in the garden and talks about her, so Galahad learns her true identity, sharing the knowledge only with Sue. Percy Pilbeam arrives, recognises Sue, and tries to get her help in his memoir-stealing scheme. Baxter, meanwhile, has grown suspicious that the pig was stolen by Carmody as a means of insuring his job; he spots Beach heading off to feed the pig, and follows him, just as the storm breaks.

Beach reaches the cottage to find Hugo and Millicent, gone there to shelter from the rain. Their relationship is healed, Hugo having explained about Sue and Ronnie, and Beach, protecting Ronnie, claims he stole the pig for Hugo to return and win Lord Emsworth's favour. Beach leaves, as Carmody takes the pig to a new hiding spot.

Baxter accuses Beach in front of Emsworth, and the three of them head to the cottage, Emsworth growing ever warier of Baxter's sanity. They find no pig, Carmody having moved it to Baxter's caravan, where Pilbeam, also caught in the rain, saw him stow it. While Emsworth, Lady Constance, Gally and Millicent go to dinner with Parsloe-Parsloe (lured away to leave the memoirs unguarded), Ronnie Fish confronts Pilbeam, and learns that Sue was indeed out in London with Carmody, and that she has come to Blandings to be near Ronnie.

Pilbeam gets tipsy, and tells Beach about Sue, and then tells Carmody that he saw him hide the pig. Carmody, in a panic, calls Millicent at Matchingham Hall; she advises him to tell Emsworth where the pig is at once. He does so, Emsworth is overjoyed, and agrees to their marriage, much to Lady Constance's disgust.

Meanwhile, Baxter intercepts a telegram meant for Lady Constance from Myra Schoonmaker in Paris, and goes to the imposter Sue's room to retrieve a note he sent her, criticising Lord Emsworth. Trapped by Beach bringing her dinner, he hides under the bed while she and Ronnie are reunited. Ronnie spots Pilbeam climbing into the room to steal Galahad’s memoirs, and chases him downstairs; the returning dinner party assume they are fleeing Baxter, now confirmed as mad by the presence of the stolen pig in his caravan, and Emsworth charges into Sue's room with a shotgun. Baxter crawls out from under the bed, flustered and enraged by his experience and Emsworth's harsh words, reveals Sue's deception and storms off.

Galahad, learning that Sue Brown is Dolly Henderson's daughter, reveals that he loved her mother but was forbidden to marry her, and views Sue as a kind of honorary daughter. He tells Lady Constance that he will suppress his book if she agrees to sanction Sue and Ronnie's marriage, and to persuade her sister Julia to do likewise. Pilbeam, hearing this as he once again climbs the drainpipe, gives up his mission, leaving Galahad to tell Sue the old story of Sir Gregory Parsloe-Parsloe and the prawns.

Roughly two thousand years after a nuclear war has devastated civilization, Riddley, the young narrator, stumbles upon efforts to recreate a weapon of the ancient world.

The novel's characters live a harsh life in a small area which is presently the English county of Kent, and know little of the world outside of "Inland" (England). Their level of civilization is similar to England's prehistoric Iron Age, although they do not produce their own iron but salvage it from ancient machinery. Church and state have combined into one secretive institution, whose mythology, based on misinterpreted stories of the war and an old Catholic saint (Eustace), is enacted in puppet shows.

When four unsuspecting kids attend a remote, sinister-looking boarding school which is known as the Creepschool, they embark on an adventure into the fascinating, supernatural world. Imagine nightmares in your so called "Natural" life. Elliot, Josh, Janice and Victoria also share our everyday problems and… More! Who Says School Is Boring?

Charles Dexter Ward is a young man from a prominent Rhode Island family who has disappeared from a mental asylum. He had been incarcerated during a prolonged period of insanity, during which he exhibited minor and inexplicable physiological changes. His empty cell is found to be very dusty. The bulk of the story concerns the investigation conducted by the Wards' family doctor, Marinus Bicknell Willett, in an attempt to discover the reason for Ward's madness and physiological changes. Willett learns that Ward had spent the past several years attempting to discover the grave of his ill-reputed ancestor, Joseph Curwen.

The doctor slowly begins to reveal the truth behind the legends surrounding Curwen, an eighteenth-century shipping entrepreneur and alleged alchemist, who was in reality a necromancer and mass murderer. A raid on Curwen's farm was remarkable for the shouted incantations, lights, explosions, and some not-quite-human figures shot down by the raiders. The raiders swore any witnesses to strict secrecy about what they saw and heard.

As Willett's investigations proceed, he finds that Charles had recovered Curwen's ashes, and through the use of magical formulae contained in documents found hidden in Curwen's home in Providence, was able to call forth Curwen from his "essential saltes" and resurrect him. Willett also finds that Curwen, who resembles Charles enough to pass for him, murdered and replaced his modern descendant and resumed his evil activities. Although Curwen convinces onlookers that he is Charles, his anachronistic mindset and behavior lead authorities to certify him insane and imprison him in an asylum.

While Curwen is locked up, Willett's investigation leads him to a bungalow in Pawtuxet Village, which Ward had purchased while under the influence of Curwen. The house is on the site of the old farm which was Curwen's headquarters for his nefarious doings; beneath is a vast catacomb that the wizard had built as a lair during his previous lifetime. During a horrific journey through this labyrinth, in which Willett sees a deformed monster in a pit, he discovers the truth about Curwen's crimes and also the means of returning him to the grave. It is also revealed that Curwen has been engaged in a long-term conspiracy with certain other necromancers, associates from his previous life who have somehow escaped death, to resurrect and torture the world's wisest people to gain knowledge that will make them powerful and threaten the future of mankind. While in Curwen's laboratory, Willett accidentally summons an ancient entity who is an enemy of Curwen and his fellow necromancers. The doctor faints, awakening much later in the bungalow. The entrance to the vaults has been sealed as if it had never existed, but Willett finds a note from the being written in Latin instructing him to kill Curwen and destroy his body.

Willett confronts Curwen at the asylum and succeeds in reversing the resurrection spell, returning the sorcerer to dust. News reports reveal that Curwen's prime co-conspirators and their households have met brutal deaths, and their lairs have been destroyed.

John Sullivan is an NYPD detective living in his childhood home. His girlfriend Samantha leaves him for being emotionally shut off, which is implied to be the result of John losing his father, firefighter Frank to a fire when he was six years old. John's lifelong friend and neighbor, Gordo, stops by and finds a Heathkit single-sideband ham radio that once belonged to Frank, but fails to get it working.

The night before the anniversary of his father's death, John is surprised to find the radio operating during a particularly intense occurrence of the aurora borealis, and has a brief conversation with another man concerning the 1969 World Series, which John is able to recount in specific detail. He realizes from this and other details that he is communicating with his father on the same date in 1969, and warns him of the mistake that led to his death. Frank is alarmed and refuses to believe it, but the next day, while rescuing a child from a burning warehouse, recalls John's warning and survives the fire.

In 1999, John is struck with new memories of his father surviving into the 80s until his death from lung cancer. He reconnects with Frank, who now believes him.

John discovers that his present has been changed in other unexpected ways. He has inadvertently prevented the death of the "Nightingale", a serial killer who originally murdered three nurses in the 1960s and was never caught. The killer has now killed 10 women, including John's own mother Julia. To save her and the other future victims, John enlists Frank's help in stopping the Nightingale before he can kill again.

Following information from John about the killings, Frank manages to save the first victim, but when he tries to rescue the second, the Nightingale subdues him, steals his driver's license, and plants it on the victim to frame Frank for the murder.

When Frank shares his experience with his son, John realizes Frank's wallet has the Nightingale's fingerprints. John asks his father to hide the wallet somewhere in the house where John can find it 30 years later. Using the preserved fingerprints from the wallet, John identifies the Nightingale as Jack Shepard, a former detective.

In 1969, Frank's close friend (and John's future boss) detective Satch DeLeon arrests Frank on suspicion of murder; he resists, and the radio is knocked over and damaged. At the station, Frank attempts to prove his innocence to Satch by being able to accurately predict various aspects of the 1969 World Series, including the famous Game 5 "shoe polish incident". Frank escapes from the police station and breaks into Shepard's apartment, where he finds evidence of his murders. Shepard arrives and attacks Frank, who fends him off and appears to kill Shepard. Satch, having realized that Frank was telling the truth, arrives and find the victims' jewelry, exonerating Frank.

Frank returns home and fixes the radio. He chooses to quit smoking, having been warned by John that he will eventually die of lung cancer. While talking over the radio, both Frank and John are attacked by the 1969 and 1999 versions of Shepard. Frank blows off Shepard's hand and he flees. In 1999, as John fights off Shepard, the house changes rapidly around them. An elderly Frank appears and kills Shepard with the same shotgun. He and John tearfully embrace.

The film concludes with a softball game including John, Samantha (now his wife and expecting a baby), John's young son, Frank, Julia, Satch and Gordo, who has become wealthy thanks to stock tips fed to him in the past by John.

In December 2001 in the small fictional town of Dukesberry, New Hampshire, Davey Stone is a 33-year-old Jewish alcoholic troublemaker with a long criminal record whose antics have long earned him the community's animosity. Davey is arrested for refusing to pay his bill at Mr. Chang's Chinese restaurant, attempting to evade arrest ("Davey's Song"), stealing a snowmobile, and destroying festive ice sculptures in the process. At Davey's trial, Whitey Duvall, a 69-year-old volunteer referee from Davey's former basketball league, intervenes. At Whitey's suggestion, the judge sentences Davey to community service as a referee-in-training for Whitey's Youth Basketball League. Under the terms of the community service, if Davey commits a crime before his sentence is completed, he will serve 10 years in prison.

The next day, Davey's first game ends in disaster. As Davey causes disruptions and continuously torments an obese player, Whitey then suffers a grand mal seizure, and the game is abruptly halted, Davey forfeiting it to the opposing team for the sole purpose of making said obese player cry. Attempting to calm Davey down, Whitey takes him to the mall, where they meet Davey's childhood friend Jennifer Friedman and her son Benjamin: Jennifer is now a divorced, single mother having moved back to her hometown and taking a job at the mall after her former husband had left her for another woman that he met online. Whitey reminds Davey that he lost his chance with Jennifer 20 years earlier, but Davey secretly still has feelings for her.

As time progresses, Davey and Whitey's relationship becomes more strained, especially after Whitey threatens Davey that he will notify the judge when Davey shoplifts a peanut brittle; despite letting him off the hook, Whitey keeps to his word and vows to tell the judge if Davey commits another crime. Whitey's various attempts to encourage Davey are met with humiliation and assault—including Davey knocking Whitey into a porta-potty. Later, Davey bonds with Benjamin while playing basketball at the community center with two other men; but then the game stops when Davey lets Benjamin cuss at the guys who had lost to them, leading Jennifer to reprimand Benjamin for swearing and scolds Davey for his actions telling him that she doesn't need her son ending up like him. While the two are driving to their respective homes, they sing about their happy childhood together and how much things have changed ("Long Ago").

When Davey gets home, his trailer is being burned down by one of the men who lost the basketball match to him. Davey runs into the burning trailer to rescue a Hanukkah card from his late parents, then watches the trailer burn down. Whitey opens his home to Davey, who reluctantly accepts; also living there is Whitey's diabetic twin sister Eleanore; to keep Davey in line, Whitey and Eleanore explain the complex rules of the Duvall household, stating that Davey will have to leave if he does not abide them ("Technical Foul"). Davey seemingly overcomes them and starts to turn his life around. But Davey's progress in reforming stops short when Whitey recalls what happened in 1981 twenty years ago: En route to one of Davey's basketball games, his parents were tragically killed in a car accident, and Davey learned of their deaths when the police showed up after the basketball game. Devastated by the loss of his loving parents and leaping from foster home to foster home, Davey spent the next 20 years numbing his pain with alcohol and petty crime and as a result he ostracized himself away from Jennifer and his other friends. Uncomfortable with this reminder of his tragic, painful childhood, Davey loses his temper and insults both Whitey and Eleanore which results in Whitey kicking Davey out of his home, much to his relief.

Davey spends the rest of the day binge drinking, and that night, he breaks into the closed mall. In his drunken stupor, he imagines the logos of various stores coming to life and confronting him about his inability to grieve for his parents, which they identify as the source of his alcoholism ("Intervention Song"). He finally opens his parents' Hanukkah card, which contains a heartfelt message praising him for being a good son and asking him to never change the way he is. Davey finally cries and comes to terms with his loss. Just then, two cops arrive to arrest him, but he escapes and boards a bus to New York City. The bus is then forced to stop when a single thumbtack in the road punctures all eight rear tires. Reminded of the Miracle of Hanukkah, Davey walks off the bus, intending to find Whitey and make amends with him.

Davey finds Whitey at the All-Star Banquet, an annual town celebration in which one member of the community is recognized for positive contributions to Dukesberry with the "Dukesberry All-Star Patch", which Whitey has wanted for 35 years. When Whitey is passed over for seemingly the final time with the award being given to the hook-handed Tom Baltezor, he decides to move to Florida and live the rest of his life in anonymity, feeling like he's no longer wanted. Risking arrest, Davey enters the hall and sings of Whitey's many selfless contributions to Dukesberry throughout his life, causing the townspeople to realize the error of their ways ("Bum Biddy"). Davey leads them to Whitey, who has gone to the mall with Eleanore to "speak to it" one more time. The townspeople thank Whitey for his service over the years, and the Mayor officially grants him the Patch Award. All 34 previous recipients of the awards give theirs to Whitey.

Davey and Jennifer reconcile and Whitey goes into a seizure, which he calls "the happiest seizure of my life!"

The future in ''334'' has brought few technological advances except for new medical techniques and recreational drugs. There have been no dramatic disasters, but overpopulation has made housing and other resources scarce; the response is a program of compulsory birth control and eugenics. A welfare state provides for basic needs through an all-encompassing agency called MODICUM, but there is an extreme class division between welfare recipients and professionals.

The novel consists of five independent novellas (previously published separately) with a common setting but different characters, and a longer sub-novel called "334" whose many short sections trace the members of a single family forward and backward in time. The sections are as follows:

• "The Death of Socrates": A high-school student finds that, due to poor scores on his Regents Examinations and his father's health history, he has been permanently forbidden to have children; he searches for ways to get extra credit.
• "Bodies": Porters at Bellevue Hospital moonlight as body-snatchers catering to a necrophiliac brothel. Their task is complicated by the desire of some patients to be cryonically preserved for a better future.
• "Everyday Life in the Later Roman Empire": A privileged government worker, trying to decide where to send her son to school, pursues a parallel existence in a hallucinogen-assisted role-playing game set in the year 334.
• "Emancipation: A Romance of the Times to Come": A young professional man and woman face marital conflicts and parenthood, with several twists unique to the 2020s.
• "Angouleme": A group of highly educated prepubescent children decides to commit a gratuitous murder in Battery Park.
• "334": Vignettes of the Hanson family from 2021 to 2025.

At haunted mansion Hell House, teenage Megan Voorhees becomes possessed by the spirit of Hugh Kane, the house's cruel, wicked previous owner. She interrupts a formal dinner party, thrown by her mother, who seeks help from two priests, Fathers McFeely and Harris. After an unsuccessful attempt to exorcise Kane's ghost, McFeely pulls a gun and shoots Megan.

One year later, Cindy Campbell, Brenda Meeks, Ray Wilkins and Shorty Meeks are at college, trying to live new lives after surviving the events of the first film. Cindy and Brenda are tagged by socially maladjusted Alex. Shorty is still the same stoner he was before. Ray, still confused about his sexuality, has two new male friends, Tommy and Buddy, the latter of whom becomes romantically interested in Cindy. She rebuffs him but agrees to be friends.

The sinister Professor Oldman and his charming paraplegic assistant, Dwight Hartman, plan to study the paranormal activity at Hell House. They recruit Cindy and her friends as test subjects under the pretense of a psychological experiment on sleep paralysis. At the mansion, Cindy encounters a foul-mouthed parrot and Hanson, a creepy caretaker with a badly malformed hand. Later, the group is joined by the attractive Theo. They sit down for dinner, but soon lose their appetite due to Hanson's repulsive treatment of the food.

That night, Cindy hears voices directing her to a secret room, where she and Buddy discover the diary of Kane's wife. Seeing her portrait, they note Cindy's (slight) resemblance. Meanwhile, the others also experience bizarre encounters. Kane's ghost has sex with Alex in her bedroom, and quickly departs at the mention of commitment. Cindy gets into a fistfight with the house cat, Mr. Kittles. When Cindy tries to tell Oldman, he dismisses it, and sends Theo to take Cindy to bed. Later, Cindy is possessed by Kane's wife, and she seduces Oldman. She quickly returns to normal, with no memory of the event. A toy clown attempts to kill Ray, but in a strange turn of events, the doll is sexually assaulted by Ray instead. A weed-monster rolls Shorty into a joint. It proceeds to smoke him (much to Shorty's enjoyment), but gets distracted and lets him escape. The next morning, Oldman tells Dwight no one is leaving the house, despite the attacks, and shows his lecherous true colors. Dwight is given the only house keys, and told to give them to nobody. Theo offers oral sex to no avail; Dwight does it to himself. She knocks him out and takes the keys.

Oldman is seduced and killed by the ghost of Kane's mistress. Shorty later encounters the same ghost, but charms and has sex with her. After Dwight equips the teens with weapons that can injure their spectral enemy, they are pursued throughout the mansion, Alex attempts to win Kane's love, but is killed by Crane's ghost. Buddy and Cindy are locked in the walk-in freezer. Cindy uses a collection of random objects to produce a Caterpillar 2-Ton tractor and escapes the freezer.

Hanson becomes possessed by Kane and kidnaps an inebriated Shorty. Cindy, Brenda and Theo team up to battle Hanson with highly stylized fight choreography, but are defeated. Dwight regroups with the teens, and Cindy chooses to act as bait to lure Kane into a device that will destroy him. The plan succeeds, freeing the group from the house's curse.

Two months later, Cindy and Buddy are in a relationship. They are out on a walk when Hanson appears to take Cindy away with him. Buddy disappears as Hanson gets hit by a car, driven by Shorty.

In the Middle Ages, a Norwegian invasion of Scotland is suppressed by Macbeth, Thane of Glamis, and Banquo. A traitor, the Thane of Cawdor, is captured, and King Duncan decrees Macbeth shall be awarded the title of Cawdor. Macbeth and Banquo do not hear of this news; when out riding, they happen upon Three Witches, who hail Macbeth as Thane of Cawdor and future King, and Banquo as lesser and greater. At their camp, nobles arrive and inform Macbeth he has been named the Thane of Cawdor, with Macbeth simultaneously awed and frightened at the prospect of usurping Duncan, in further fulfilment of the prophecy. He writes a letter to Lady Macbeth, who is delighted at the news. However, she fears her husband has too much good nature, and vows to be cruel for him. Duncan names his eldest son, Malcolm, Prince of Cumberland, and thus heir apparent, to the displeasure of Macbeth and Malcolm's brother Donalbain. The royal family and nobles then spend the night at Macbeth's castle, with Lady Macbeth greeting the King and dancing with him with duplicity.

Urged on by his wife, Macbeth steps into King Duncan's chambers after she has drugged the guards. Duncan wakes and utters Macbeth's name, but Macbeth stabs him to death. He then murders the guards. Fearing a conspiracy, Malcolm and Donalbain flee to England and Ireland, and the Thane of Ross realises Macbeth will be king. An opportunistic courtier, he hails Macbeth at Scone, while the noble Macduff heads back to his home in Fife. When Macbeth begins to fear possible usurpation by Banquo and his son Fleance, he sends two murderers to kill them, and then sends Ross as the mysterious Third Murderer. Banquo is killed, while Fleance escapes. After Banquo appears at a banquet as a ghost, Macbeth seeks out the witches, who are performing a nude ritual. The witches and the spirits they summon deceive Macbeth into thinking he is invincible, as he cannot be killed except by a man not born of woman, and will not be defeated until "Birnam Wood comes to Dunsinane."

After Macduff flees to England, Ross leaves Fife's castle doors open, so Macbeth's murderers can kill Lady Macduff and the rest of the family and servants. With nobles fleeing Scotland, Macbeth chooses a new Thane of Cawdor, bestowing the title on Seyton over Ross. Disappointed, Ross joins Malcolm and Macduff in England, where the English King has committed forces led by Siward to overthrowing Macbeth and installing Malcolm on the Scottish throne.

The English forces invade, covering themselves by cutting down branches from Birnam Wood and holding them in front of their army to hide their numbers as they march on Macbeth in Dunsinane. When the forces storm the castle, Macduff confronts Macbeth, and during the sword fight, Macduff reveals he was delivered by Caesarean section. Macduff beheads Macbeth, and Ross presents the crown to Malcolm. Meanwhile, Donalbain, out riding, encounters the witches.

Taking the form of letters from "pal Joey" to "dear Pal Ted," a second-rate nightclub singer recounts his life in 1930s Chicago, with a focus on money and women. Although he does not seem aware of it, Joey's letters reveal him to be an amoral, calculating heel whose venality is cloaked by an amiable persona. He also does not seem aware of his frequent spelling and grammatical errors (really choices by O'Hara to convey Joey's voice):

Dear Friend Ted

That is if I can call you friend after the last two weeks for it is a hard thing to do considering. I do not know if you realize what has happen to me oweing to your lack of consideraton . Maybe it is not lack of consideraton . Maybe it is on purpose. Well if it is on purpose all I have to say is maybe you are the one that will be the loser and not me as I was going to do certan things for you but now it does not look like I will be able to do them....

A stray tabby cat hides from a dog in a delivery truck, which drives to New York City. The tomcat sees the disembodied image of a young girl pleading for help and is picked up by a man named Junk.

"Quitters, Inc."

Smoker, Dick Morrison is advised by a friend to join Quitters, Inc. to kick his habit. Clinic counselor Vinnie Donatti explains that the clinic has a 100% success rate due to a uniquely persuasive method: every time Dick smokes a cigarette, horrors of increasing magnitude will befall his wife and child.

Using the tomcat that Donatti's assistant, Junk, caught in the street, Donatti demonstrates the first of these horrors: the tomcat is put in a cage and tormented with electric shocks coming from the floor. Donatti explains that if his new client is caught with a cigarette, Dick's wife Cindy will be shocked while he is forced to watch. For subsequent infractions, his daughter will be shocked, then his wife raped. Finally, Dick himself will be killed. Dick hides the threats from his family.

That night, Dick is angered by the methods Quitters, Inc. uses and notices a pack of cigarettes in his desk. He prepares to smoke, but notices a pair of feet in his closet, realizing Quitters Inc. takes their threat seriously. The following day, Dick visits his daughter and gives her a doll. Whilst at the school, Dick sees Donatti, who warns him that the organization will be watching him closely.

During a stressful traffic jam, Dick smokes after finding an old pack of cigarettes in his glove box. After watching Cindy suffer in the electric cage, Dick futilely attacks Donatti and Junk; the tomcat escapes in the scuffle. Dick is determined never to smoke again and tells his wife everything.

Time passes, and Dick is smoke-free, but has gained weight due to quitting. Donatti prescribes illegal diet pills and sets a target weight for Dick. Dick jokingly asks what will happen if he continues to gain weight; Donatti responds that someone will cut off his wife's little finger. Dick and his wife have a dinner party with the friend who recommended Quitters, Inc. to Dick and his wife, and toast the company. As she raises her glass, Dick sees that his friend's wife is missing her little finger.

"The Ledge"

Having escaped Quitters, Inc., the tomcat leaves Manhattan via the Staten Island Ferry, traveling to Atlantic City, New Jersey, where it sees the same disembodied girl's image asking for his help. Gambler and former tennis pro Johnny Norris is involved with a woman whose jealous husband, Cressner, is a crime boss and casino owner. Cressner, who will bet on anything, wins a wager that the tomcat will successfully cross the busy road outside his casino, and takes the tomcat home.

Cressner has Norris kidnapped and blackmails him into a dangerous ordeal: he must circumnavigate the exterior ledge of Cressner's penthouse. If he makes it all the way around, Cressner will grant his wife a divorce. If Norris refuses, Cressner will call the police and have him arrested for possession of drugs that have been planted in Norris's Mustang by a henchman named Albert.

Norris agrees. Cressner harasses Norris by startling him with a horn when he attempts to get into a window. A pigeon lands beside Norris and pecks at his foot, causing it to bleed, then Cressner turns on a fire hose to keep Norris from lingering. Norris returns to the apartment. Cressner says he will honor his bet: Albert removed the drugs, and presents Norris with a bag of cash—however, he kicks over the bag to reveal his wife's severed head. Norris attacks Cressner, while Albert is tripped by the tomcat and drops his gun. Norris seizes the gun and kills Albert, then points it at Cressner. Norris forces Cressner to undergo the same ordeal on the ledge. The tomcat watches as Cressner, harassed by the pigeon, falls to his death.

"General"

The tomcat hops a freight train and travels to Wilmington, North Carolina, where it is adopted by the girl who was asking for help earlier, Amanda, who names him General. Amanda's mother believes General will harm their parakeet, Polly.

Despite Amanda's protests, her mother puts General out at night. Consequently, he cannot protect Amanda from a small, malevolent troll that took up residence in the house. When Amanda sleeps, the troll emerges via a hole in one of the walls in Amanda's room. The troll slays the parakeet with a tiny dagger and then tries to steal Amanda's breath. General finds a way into the house and chases the troll. After wounding the tomcat's shoulder with his dagger, the troll flees, leaving Amanda and her parents to discover the dead bird. Amanda's parents are convinced that General killed Polly, but her father, discovering a wound on the tomcat too large for a parakeet to have made, starts doubting the mother's belief that General slew the bird.

Amanda's mother takes General to an animal shelter to be euthanized. When night falls, the troll returns and uses a doorstop to wedge Amanda's door shut, and then reattempts to take the sleeping girl's breath. As General is getting his final meal, he escapes and rushes back to Amanda's house.

General saves Amanda and fights with the troll, causing a great deal of noise. Amanda's parents awaken, but the blocked door prevents them from reaching her. Though the troll tries to flee, General kills it. After her parents break into the room, Amanda describes how General saved her from the troll. Her parents believe the story when parts of the troll's corpse are discovered, as well as the tiny dagger and the hole in the wall that the troll used.

The next morning, General feasts on a large fish, then climbs onto a sleeping Amanda's stomach and licks her face. She wakes up and cuddles him.

Charles "Chuck" Lumley, formerly a successful stockbroker, has found a refuge from the ulcer-inducing Wall Street rat race in his job as an attendant at a New York City morgue. His displeasure at being "promoted" to night-shift supervisor to make room for his boss' nephew Leonard is exacerbated by the irrational exuberance of Bill "Blaze" Blazejowski, his new co-worker. They are inspired by the plight of Chuck's prostitute neighbor, Belinda, to apply Chuck's financial acumen and Bill's entrepreneurial spirit to open a prostitution service headquartered at the morgue.

Chuck falls in love with Belinda, but their relationship becomes complicated when Belinda refuses to quit prostitution. Chuck's passiveness keeps him from telling Belinda he loves her. Meanwhile, Chuck and Bill's foray into the prostitution business draws the ire of dangerous pimps who come to the morgue and threaten to kill Chuck. Bill inadvertently leads two undercover police officers to the morgue where Chuck is being assaulted by the pimps. A shootout ensues. Chuck and Bill are rescued, but are arrested for promoting prostitution. Because their arrest would be a political embarrassment, the two men are offered their old jobs back and a dismissal of all charges. Chuck accepts this, but Bill sees it as an opportunity to bargain with the mayor's office. Chuck and Bill fight and part ways. Chuck's fiancée Charlotte ends their engagement.

Chuck sees Belinda in the hall of their apartment complex, but again fails to express his true feelings for her. Belinda leaves, and Chuck becomes angry with himself for being afraid. With renewed determination, Chuck finds Belinda working in an adult club and professes his love for her. He also finds Bill is employed there, apologizes for his harsh words, and assures Bill of the value of his creative ideas. The three leave the club together and go out on the town.

Maiev Shadowsong pursues the fugitive Illidan to a set of islands. There, she finds Illidan has allied himself with the Naga and obtained an artifact called the Eye of Sargeras, forcing Maiev to call on Illidan's brother Malfurion Stormrage and Malfurion's wife Tyrande Whisperwind for aid. Illidan flees with the eye to the kingdom of Lordaeron. When Tyrande is swept away by a river while helping a group of Blood Elves led by the prince Kael'thas, Maiev convinces Malfurion that she died to maintain their pursuit of Illidan. They capture Illidan and destroy the Eye, which Illidan reveals he was using to destroy the Lich King. When Kael'thas informs him that Tyrande may still be alive, he uses the Naga to help Malfurion find and rescue her. In thanks, Malfurion pardons him for his past crimes. With Maiev still in pursuit, Illidan flees to the planet Draenor.

In Lordaeron, the Blood Elves are in an uneasy alliance with Garithos, the racist human commander of the remaining Alliance forces. When their prince Kael'thas is only able to complete a number of demeaning tasks with the help of Illidan's Naga, Garithos imprisons Kael'thas and his forces for treason. The Naga leader Lady Vashj rescues them and leads them to Outland, where they join forces with Illidan, who promises to satisfy their addiction to magic. Illidan's master Kil'jaeden finds Illidan and plans to punish him for failing to destroy the Lich King, but decides not to when Illidan claims that he traveled to Outland to recruit forces for a new assault.

Arthas returns to the Undead-controlled regions of Lordaeron where three dreadlords loyal to the Burning Legion - Balnazzar, Detheroc, and Varimathras - rule. Arthas informs them of the Legion's defeat and retreat before crowning himself king. While purging the kingdom of the remnants of the Alliance aided by Sylvanas Windrunner, Arthas notices that his powers have diminished. The Lich King telepathically contacts Arthas and explains his loss of power is a result of Illidan's attacks, and summons him to defend the Frozen Throne. Arthas leaves for Northrend where he, with the help of the Lich King's allies, defeats Illidan in a duel. Arthas shatters the ice of the throne and dons the Lich King's helmet, thereby joining their souls and becoming the new Lich King. Meanwhile, in Lordaeron, Sylvanas is freed from the Lich King's control. With the help of one of the dreadlords, Varimathras, she kills the remaining two and Garithos and declares Lordaeron the home of the free undead, rechristened the "Forsaken".

Untouched by the events in Lordaeron and Northrend, Horde Warchief Thrall builds a new kingdom called Durotar on the continent of Kalimdor. Rexxar, a half-ogre beastmaster and adventurer, is tasked by Thrall and other inhabitants to help build the kingdom. He is aided by Rokhan, a troll shadow hunter. Rexxar learns that humans from the island of Theramore plan to invade Durotar, led by Admiral Daelin Proudmoore, who is unwilling to accept the truce between humans and the Horde. With the help of the guilt-ridden daughter of the admiral, Jaina Proudmoore, he leads an assault on Theramore, slays the admiral, and leaves Jaina in command of the city.

The series tells the story of Johnny, a Mexican truck driver and family man who falls in love with a woman he meets in his travels, and of the complications as a consequence of his new love. ''Dos Mujeres...'' used the then-new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) as a backdrop to the story; Johnny transported merchandise from Mexico to the United States.

Johnny had enemies in Tijuana, where he was blamed for the death of Bernardo Montegarza (Eduardo Liceaga), son of the Montegarza family. Johnny is still very much in love with his wife (Laura León) when he falls for a young waitress, Tanya (Bibi Gaytán), whose mother owns a restaurant that Johnny frequents.

Tanya does not know he is married, and Raymundo, a police officer in love with Tanya, is working with fellow officer Ángel to pursue the head of the family that blames Johnny for the young man's death. It is later discovered that Johnny did not cause Bernardo's death, and while he was struggling to decide whether he wants to stay with his wife or his girlfriend, Tanya dies taking a knife thrust intended for her rival – Johnny's wife – Ana Maria.

Johnny and Ana Maria reconcile after Tanya's death. The final scene shows the couple retiring for the evening. Johnny, dreaming of Tanya's death, calls her name in his sleep. When he awakes in the morning, Ana Maria and the children are gone, but in a letter, she promises that he will see the children but not her.

Martial arts champion Steve Chase is hired by Kandy Kane to rescue her father, Dr. Horatio Kane, who had accidentally discovered a mind-control drug while researching potatoes as an energy source. The government offers Steve $2 million to find him, but he gets $5 million and is allowed to select his own team. He recruits four of his old friends: a mystic known as the Fly, a reclusive former martial arts champ named Gypsy Billy, a large former wrestler named Gorilla, and a goofy cheerful fellow called Hot Dog.

The government officials brief them on their mission: Wellington Forsyth III, a billionaire who supposedly disappeared years ago, now calls himself Marduk (MAR-dook); they believe he kidnapped Kane for his mind-control drug to create an army with the intention of totalitarianism. Having seized control of a town called Ironville, Marduk is now a warlord with many followers under his control from Kane's drug (which has to be re-administered when it wears off). They want Steve and his team to stop Marduk's plans and rescue Kane. When Kandy insists on joining them, Steve eventually relents when she reveals that she too can fight.

In his fortress, Marduk seeks a challenger for his undefeated champion, the Optimus, a large man who fights with raw power. Steve and his group wrangle their way into Ironville only to be captured by Marduk's guards, and are each forced to fight members of his army. They all best their respective opponents, including Steve who defeats the Optimus. Marduk then forces Steve to drink a new serum and orders him to kill his friends, but the serum fails and Steve forces Marduk to declare everyone free and destroy him instead. Chaos erupts, and Steve eventually saves Kane from being shot by Marduk's top guard. Marduk tries to escape via helicopter, but cannot take off with Gorilla holding one of the rotors. The remaining guards open fire on Gorilla, but end up hitting the helicopter, which explodes with Marduk still on board.

Kandy later reveals that she was actually an undercover government agent, and the real Kandy Kane, formerly under Marduk's control, has been reunited with her father, who decides to stay behind to give his antidote to everyone else affected, and the heroes head for home.

Act I

The early settlers along the Holston and Watauga Rivers in modern East Tennessee find themselves outside the jurisdiction of North Carolina and Virginia, and, in 1772, form a government of their own, the Watauga Association, described by such historians as Theodore Roosevelt as the first free and independent government (at least by men of European descent) on the American continent. At the time, it was regarded by John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, royal governor of Virginia, as an attempt to set up a 'Separate State,' which made it 'a dangerous example' to other disaffected colonists.

In 1775, Judge Richard Henderson's Transylvania Purchase, buying most of modern Kentucky and Middle Tennessee from the Cherokee Indians is opposed by the young warrior Dragging Canoe. He and his followers also oppose the purchase by the Watauga Association of the land they currently occupy. Although most of the older chiefs, including Dragging Canoe's father Atta-culla-culla, favour peace with the white settlers, the younger warriors attack the settlements in the area, bringing the act to a climax with the 1776 attack on the reproduction of Fort Watauga (more properly known as Fort Caswell) that has stood in the park since the 1970s. In the battle, John Sevier, who would later be the only governor of the State of Franklin and the first governor of the State of Tennessee, meets his second wife, the high-spirited and athletic Catherine Sherrill, pulling her over the wall of the fort after her running leap made while fleeing from the Cherokees.

Act I concludes with the breaking of the siege and news of the Declaration of Independence.

Act II

The 1780 wedding of John Sevier and 'Bonnie Kate' Sherrill is interrupted by a messenger with news of the war being fought against the British on the other side of the Appalachian Mountains. Major Patrick Ferguson, a British officer assigned to lead American Loyalist Militia in pacifying the rebellion in the west, has threatened to march over the mountains, hang the leaders, and lay waste to the country with fire and sword. Local leaders attending the wedding agree to muster the local militia on September 25, 1780, and march over the mountains to meet Ferguson before he can endanger their families. The ensuing march, culminating in the Battle of Kings Mountain, earned the participants the nickname "Overmountain Men," and their victory over the British is sometimes referred to as the turning point of the American Revolution in the South.

The drama depicts the battle in the distance on a small hill beside the fort that serves as a backdrop for the entire performance. The distant battle is accompanied by narration and exciting (yet loud) fireworks and gunfire.

During the absence of the militia, the women of the settlement and the few remaining men (one out of seven were drafted to stay behind) defend themselves from the Cherokee and British Indian agents.

The drama concludes with the return of the Overmountain Men and a brief narration of the later accomplishments of some of their more prominent members, like Landon Carter.

The morning after a severe thunderstorm left the area without electrical power, an unnaturally thick and straight-edged cloud of mist spreads across the small town of Bridgton, Maine, bringing with it a whole ecosystem of deadly creatures. The source of this mist is never determined, but there are indications that it was caused by the storm disrupting experiments being conducted at a nearby U.S. military installation under the rumored name "Project Arrowhead".

Commercial artist David Drayton, along with his young son Billy and neighbor Brent Norton (whose car has been smashed by a fallen tree), go to the local supermarket for groceries, leaving David's wife behind at their home. The mist-edge soon arrives at the supermarket, blotting out the sun, followed by an earthquake-like jolt. When a young bagger, Norm, goes outside to fix a clogged vent in the store's generator, he is dragged into the mist by a mass of giant tentacles. David and assistant manager Ollie Weeks witness Norm's death and try to convince the remaining survivors of what has happened, imploring that no one leave the store. Norton and a small group of people accuse David of lying and go outside for help, only to be killed by one of the creatures. Ollie is given a revolver by the young Amanda Dumfries; she and David also have passionless stress-induced sex. Large "insects" begin crawling over the outside of the store, attracting pterosaur-like creatures, one of which squirms inside through a broken window and is killed with an improvised torch. David leads a group of people to an adjacent pharmacy as a test of possibly escaping the situation, where they encounter huge spiders, which kill several members of the expedition and force the rest to retreat to the supermarket.

As these events progress, the elderly religious fanatic Mrs. Carmody gradually convinces a majority of the remaining survivors that current events fulfill a biblical prophecy of the end time, and that human sacrifice is required to save themselves from God's wrath. When David, Billy, Ollie, Amanda and a few other survivors attempt to escape to David's car, they are confronted by Mrs. Carmody, who calls on the crowd to offer Billy and Amanda as sacrifices. Ollie shoots Mrs. Carmody, breaking her "congregation". En route to the car, Ollie and one other survivor are killed, while another flees back to the store. The rest attempt to reach David's house to determine the fate of his wife, but the driveway is hopelessly blocked with fallen trees. They drive south through a devastated and mist-shrouded New England. While stopped for the night, David searches the radio bands and, through the mist's interference, possibly hears someone say "Hartford", giving him a last reed of hope.

Sir Oswald and Lady Coote host a party at the stately home Chimneys, which they have rented for the season. The guest list includes Gerry Wade, Jimmy Thesiger, Ronny Devereux, Bill Eversleigh, and Rupert "Pongo" Bateman. Since Wade has a bad habit of oversleeping, the others play a joke on him by placing eight alarm clocks in his room and timing them to go off at intervals. The next morning, a footman finds Wade dead in his bed, with chloral on his nightstand. Thesiger notices that one of the eight alarm clocks is missing. It is later found in a hedge.

Lord Caterham and his daughter Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent move back into Chimneys. When Bundle drives to London to see Eversleigh, Ronny Devereux jumps out in front of her car. Before he dies, Devereux mutters "Seven Dials..." and "Tell...Jimmy Thesiger." Bundle gets his body to a doctor, who tells her that her car did not hit Devereux; he was shot.

Seven Dials turns out to be a seedy nightclub and gambling den. Bundle recognizes the doorman as Alfred, a footman from Chimneys. Alfred tells her that he left Chimneys for far higher wages offered by Mosgorovsky, owner of the club. Alfred takes Bundle into a secret room, where she hides in a cupboard and witnesses a meeting of seven people wearing hoods with clock faces. They talk of the always-missing "Number Seven", and about an upcoming party at Wyvern Abbey, where a scientist called Eberhard will offer a secret formula for sale to the British Air Minister.

At the party, the formula is stolen and Jimmy Thesiger is shot in his right arm. Thesiger tells how he fought a man who climbed down the ivy. The next morning, Battle finds a charred left-handed glove with teeth marks in the fireplace. He theorizes that the thief threw the gun onto the lawn from the terrace and then climbed back into the house via the ivy. Bundle’s father reports that Bauer, the footman who replaced Alfred, is missing.

Ronny Devereux's executors have sent Eversleigh a letter written by Devereux. Thesiger rings up Bundle and Gerry Wade's sister Loraine and tells them to meet him and Eversleigh at the Seven Dials club. Bundle shows Thesiger the room where the Seven Dials meet. Loraine finds Bill unconscious in the car and they take him into the club.

Someone knocks Bundle unconscious and she comes round in Eversleigh's arms. Mr Mosgorovsky takes them into the meeting of the Seven Dials, where Number Seven is revealed as Superintendent Battle. He reveals that they are a group of people doing secret service work for the government. Battle tells Bundle that the association has succeeded with their main target, an international criminal whose stock in trade is the theft of secret formulae: Jimmy Thesiger was arrested that afternoon with his accomplice, Loraine Wade. Battle explains that Thesiger killed Wade and Devereux when they got onto his track. Devereux took the eighth clock from Wade's room to see if anyone reacted to there being "seven dials". At Wyvern Abbey, Thesiger stole the formula, passed it to Loraine, then shot himself in his right arm and disposed of his left-hand glove using his teeth. Eversleigh feigned unconsciousness in the car outside the Seven Dials club. Thesiger never went for a doctor, but hid in the club, and knocked Bundle unconscious. Bundle takes Wade's place in the Seven Dials and marries Bill Eversleigh.

The Astro Investigation and Defence Service (AIDS) sends their agents, Derek, Frank, Ozzy, and Barry to investigate the disappearance of the entire population of the town of Kaihoro. They find the town has been overrun by man-eating space aliens disguised as humans in blue shirts. Barry kills one of the aliens and is attacked by others. After Derek notifies Frank and Ozzy, he begins torturing Robert, an alien they caught earlier. Robert's screaming attracts a number of aliens in the area. Derek kills the would-be rescuers, but he is attacked by Robert and falls off a cliff ledge, to his presumed death.

Meanwhile, a charity collector named Giles is passing through Kaihoro. He is attacked by Robert, but escapes in his car. He stops at a nearby house for help. Another alien answers the door and captures Giles. He later wakes up in a tub of water filled with vegetables and is told he is about to be cooked and eaten. Derek also wakes up to find that he landed in a seagull's nest. He also finds that his brain is leaking out the back of his head, so he stuffs it back in and uses a hat to hold it in place.

That night, Frank, Ozzy, and Barry infiltrate the aliens' house and find a room filled with bloody cardboard boxes. They kill a nearby alien and Frank wears its shirt to infiltrate an alien meeting. He finds out that the residents of Kaihoro have been harvested for alien fast food and also hears of their recent hostage. Robert vomits into a bowl, which the aliens dine on, including the disguised (and disgusted) Frank. He escapes and tells the others of the plan. They sneak out to save Giles as the aliens sleep.

At sunrise, they try to leave but are attacked by the aliens, which quickly dissolves into a gunfight. Derek emerges and his hat is shot off due to the ensuing gunfire, and he starts losing more of his brain, so he uses his belt as a headband. He grabs a chainsaw from the boot of his car and heads for the alien house. As the boys leave with Giles, the alien leader (Lord Crumb) and his followers transform into their true form and follow. Ozzy uses a rocket launcher to blow up Frank's car, which has been overrun by aliens.

Frank and Ozzy hunt for Lord Crumb and kill many aliens along the way. Meanwhile, Derek kills an alien with his chainsaw and replaces the missing parts of his brain with its brain. An alien prepares to shoot Frank and Ozzy, but it is beheaded by Derek after he bursts through the wall behind it. Frank and Ozzy are shocked to see him alive.

After they escape the house, Lord Crumb shoots Ozzy in the leg and Frank fires his rocket launcher at the leader, but it misses and almost hits Derek, finally taking out a sheep in a nearby meadow. Derek is knocked out by Lord Crumb and the house transforms into a giant space ship, which blasts off into space with Derek still aboard.

On board, Derek looks out the window to see that he is leaving Earth. Crumb is then killed by Derek, who ambushes him and cuts through the alien with his chainsaw. Derek proclaims into his phone: "I'm coming to get you bastards!" He then puts on the alien leader's skin, laughing maniacally as he rockets towards the alien planet. On Earth, the rest of the group drive away into the sunset in Derek's car.

The play is primarily set in Zürich, Switzerland during the First World War. At that time, three important personalities were living in Zürich: the modernist author James Joyce, the communist revolutionary Lenin, and Dada founder Tristan Tzara. The play centres on the less notable Henry Carr, a British consular official (also mentioned in Joyce's novel ''Ulysses)'', as he recalls his perceptions and experiences with these influential figures. As he reminisces, Carr's memory becomes prone to distraction, and instead of predictable historical biography, these characters are interpreted through the maze of his mind.

Carr's memories are couched in a Zürich production of Oscar Wilde's play ''The Importance of Being Earnest'' in which he had a starring role. Stoppard uses this production and Carr's mixed feelings surrounding it as a framework to explore art, the war and revolution. Situations from ''Earnest'' feature prominently within the action. The characters in ''Travesties'' also include versions of two characters from ''Earnest'', Gwendolen and Cecily, and the comedic situations of many of the other roles are shared by other characters. Stoppard uses many linguistic devices within the play, including puns, limericks, and an extended parody of the vaudeville song "Mister Gallagher and Mister Shean".

Eight years after Chucky's second demise, the Play Pals company resumes manufacturing Good Guy dolls and re-opens the abandoned factory. A splash of blood from Chucky's corpse is inadvertently mixed in with the plastic being used to produce the dolls, reviving him in a new body. Chucky is given to Play Pals CEO Mr. Sullivan. Chucky strangles him to death, then uses computer records to locate Andy Barclay.

Now 16, Andy has been sent to Kent Military School after he failed to cope in several foster homes. Colonel Cochrane, the school's commandant, advises Andy to forget his "fantasies" about the doll. Andy befriends cadets Harold Aubrey Whitehurst; Ronald Tyler, an 8-year-old cadet; and Kristin DeSilva, for whom he develops romantic feelings. He also meets Brett C. Shelton, a sadistic lieutenant colonel who routinely bullies the cadets.

Tyler is asked to deliver a package to Andy's room. Tyler realizes that the package contains a Good Guy doll and takes it to the cellar to open it. Chucky bursts from the package and is incensed to find Tyler instead of Andy, but remembering he can possess the first person who learns his true identity, tells Tyler his secret. Before Chucky can enact the ritual, Cochrane interrupts them and confiscates the doll, throwing it into a garbage truck. Chucky escapes by luring the driver into the truck's compactor and crushing him.

That night, Chucky attacks Andy and tells him his plans for taking over Tyler's body. Before Andy can fight back, Shelton comes in and takes the doll from him. Andy then sneaks into Shelton's room to recover it but Sheldon awakens to confront him, only to find that Chucky has vanished. Suspecting the doll was stolen, Sheldon forces all the cadets to do exercises as punishment. Chucky attempts to possess Tyler again, but they are interrupted by DeSilva and fellow cadet Ivers. Later, a knife-wielding Chucky surprises Cochrane, unintentionally shocking him into a fatal heart attack. The next morning, Andy tries to convince Tyler that Chucky is evil, but Tyler refuses to believe him. Meanwhile, Chucky kills the camp barber Sgt. Botnick by slashing his throat with a straight razor. Whitehurst witnesses this and flees.

Despite Cochrane's death, the school's annual war games are ordered to proceed as planned, with cadets divided between a "Red Team" and "Blue Team." Andy and Shelton are both on the Blue Team. Chucky secretly replaces the paint bullets of the Red team with live ammunition. When the simulation begins, Chucky gets Tyler away from his team. Finally realizing that Chucky is evil, Tyler stabs him with a pocket knife and flees to find Andy. Chucky then attacks DeSilva and holds her hostage. Chucky forces Andy to exchange Tyler for DeSilva. The Blue team and Red team arrive on the scene and open fire; Shelton is killed by one of the bullets fired by the Red Team. Tyler escapes in the chaos. Chucky tosses a grenade at the quarrelling cadets. Whitehurst leaps on top of the grenade, sacrificing himself to save the others.

Andy and Kristin pursue Chucky and Tyler into a haunted house themed roller-coaster at a nearby carnival. Chucky kills a security guard, kidnaps Tyler, and shoots Kristin in the leg with a stolen gun, leaving Andy to fight him alone. Andy is able to use the security guard's revolver to shoot Chucky's arm off and stop him from finishing the ritual to possess Tyler. Before Tyler and Andy can leave, Chucky again attacks Andy, but Tyler gives Andy his pocket knife, which he uses to cut off Chucky's hand. Andy then throws Chucky into a massive metal fan that is part of the attraction, shredding him to pieces and finally killing him. Later, Andy is taken away by the police for questioning while DeSilva is rushed to the hospital as the carnival closes down.

Detective Mike Norris chases fugitive serial killer Charles Lee Ray through the streets of Chicago and into a toy store. After being shot by Norris, a dying Ray performs a voodoo chant to transfer his soul to one of the ''Good Guy''-brand talking dolls on display. The store is struck by lightning and explodes, and Norris finds Ray's lifeless body in the rubble next to the doll.

Widow Karen Barclay's six-year-old son Andy desperately wants a ''Good Guy'' doll for his birthday, but she cannot afford one. Soon after, she learns that a homeless man outside of her workplace has gotten ahold of a ''Good Guy'' doll and is trying to sell it. She buys it and gives it to Andy. The doll appears normal and refers to itself as "Chucky". That night, Karen's best friend Maggie watches over Andy while Karen works late. After Andy's bedtime, Maggie finds Chucky sitting in front of a television tuned to a late-night newscast about Ray's death. She is then attacked by Chucky, being hit in the head with a hammer and falling out of the window to her death. Police search the apartment and Norris considers Andy a suspect, despite Karen's protests. Andy claims that Chucky killed Maggie and says that Chucky told him that his real name was "Charles Lee Ray".

The next morning, Chucky orders Andy to skip school and take a train downtown. While Andy is distracted, Chucky sneaks into the home of his former accomplice, Eddie Caputo, and kills him by causing a gas explosion. Andy is again considered a suspect and is admitted to a psychiatric hospital after claiming Chucky is the culprit. Karen returns home with Chucky and discovers batteries in the doll's box; the doll has been moving and speaking without them. Frightened, Karen lights her fireplace and threatens to burn Chucky, who violently comes alive in her arms and attacks her before escaping. Karen goes to the police and explains what happened; Norris doesn't believe her. Karen finds the man who sold her the doll and asks for more information. The man tries to assault her, but Norris arrives and stops him. Norris forces the man to admit that he took the doll from the torched toy store.

Karen again tries to convince Mike that the doll is alive, but he refuses to believe her, insisting that he killed Ray. After bringing Karen home, Norris is attacked by Chucky, and in the ensuing fight, he shoots the doll, whose wound inexplicably bleeds and causes pain. Chucky escapes to his former voodoo instructor John, who informs him that the longer his soul remains in the doll, the more "human" the doll will become. Chucky demands that John help him reverse the spell, but he refuses. Chucky tortures John with a voodoo doll, forcing him to reveal that in order to escape the doll's body, Chucky must transfer his soul to the first human he revealed his true identity to: Andy. Chucky stabs the voodoo doll in the chest, mortally wounding John, and escapes. Karen and Norris arrive shortly after. Before dying, John tells them that to kill Chucky, they must strike at his heart.

Chucky arrives at the psychiatric hospital where Andy is being held and kills a doctor with an electroshock therapy device. In the chaos, Andy escapes and flees home, but Chucky follows closely behind and knocks him out. As Chucky prepares to possess him with the voodoo chant, Karen and Norris arrive. Chucky wounds Norris. Karen and Andy manage to trap Chucky in the fireplace and light him on fire, appearing to kill him (although he does escape from the fireplace). Karen and Andy leave the room to help Norris, but a charred Chucky rises and chases Andy. Karen shoots Chucky repeatedly, blowing him to pieces. Norris' partner Jack arrives at the apartment, initially refusing to believe the three's story about the doll being alive. Chucky's body suddenly bursts through a vent to strangle Jack. Norris manages to shoot Chucky's body through the heart, finally killing him.

Jack says that nobody will believe them before leaving the room with Norris, Karen, and Andy. As Andy leaves, he turns to look back at Chucky's remains.

Two years after the first film, the Play Pals Corporation, which produces the Good Guy dolls, recovers from the negative publicity and reassembles Chucky to reassure its stockholders that there was nothing actually wrong with the doll. During the process, a power surge electrocutes one of the assembly line workers. Mr. Sullivan, the executive of the company, orders his assistant Mattson to cover up the accident and dispose of Chucky, unaware that he has been revived.

Meanwhile, Andy Barclay, now eight years old, has been in foster care ever since the murders, his mother having been institutionalized for backing up Andy's story about the killer doll. Andy goes to live with foster parents Phil and Joanne Simpson, who are also fostering Kyle, a cynical, street smart teenage girl. Chucky discovers Andy's whereabouts by using Mattson's car phone to call Grace Poole, the manager of Andy's foster center, before suffocating Mattson with a plastic bag.

Chucky invades the home by destroying and burying another Good Guy doll called "Tommy" and replacing it with himself. Andy begins to bond with Kyle after the two are punished for an heirloom Chucky destroyed. That night, Chucky ties Andy to his bed and reveals himself, but Kyle enters the room before he can complete the voodoo chant to possess him. Kyle doesn't believe Andy's assertions about Chucky while Phil and Joanne blame Kyle and throw Chucky in the basement. Chucky realizes that he is becoming human after suffering a nosebleed. The next day, Chucky secretly follows Andy to school and defaces his homework, resulting in Andy being assigned detention. Chucky kills Andy's teacher Miss Kettlewell by stabbing her with a pump and then beating her to death with a yardstick, but Andy manages to escape. Andy tries to warn his foster parents about Chucky, but Phil refuses to believe him and considers returning him to the foster center.

That night, Andy sneaks into the basement to destroy Chucky with an electric knife, but the doll overpowers him. When Phil arrives to investigate the commotion, Chucky trips him, causing Phil to fall and break his neck. Joanne immediately blames Andy and sends him back to the foster center. Kyle discovers "Tommy" buried outside and realizes Andy was telling the truth all along. She rushes to warn Joanne, only to discover that Chucky has already killed her. Chucky ambushes Kyle and forces her to drive him to the foster center. There, Chucky clears the building by pulling the fire alarm. He stabs Grace to death and forces Andy to take him to the Play Pals factory to perform the voodoo chant. Kyle pursues them to the factory but is unable to find them before Chucky knocks Andy unconscious and completes the ritual.

However, the spell fails as Chucky has spent too much time in his doll body and is now permanently trapped. Infuriated, Chucky chases Andy and Kyle through the factory, intent on killing them both. Kyle slams a gate shut on Chucky's hand, which Chucky tears off and replaces with a makeshift blade. After Chucky murders a factory technician, Kyle and Andy manage to trap him in a giant assembly line machine that mutilates his body, appearing to kill him. However, Chucky manages to escape the machine by cutting off his own legs and attacks again, knocking out Kyle. Andy is able to defeat him a second time by opening a valve, showering Chucky with a lethal amount of hot molten plastic. After saving the unconscious Kyle from a conveyor belt, the two approach the half-melted Chucky, who suddenly attacks them again.

During the struggle, Kyle shoves a high-pressure air hose into his mouth, inflating his head until it explodes, appearing to kill and decapitate him. Andy and Kyle exit the factory, unsure of where to go.

Ronia is a girl growing up among a clan of robbers living in a castle in the woodlands of early-Medieval Scandinavia. As the only child of Matt, the chief, she is expected to become the leader of the clan someday. Their castle, Matt's Fort, is split into two parts by a lightning bolt on the day of Ronia's birth. Ronia grows up with Matt's clan of robbers as her only company, until a rival robber group led by Borka moves into the other half of the castle, exacerbating the longstanding rivalry between the two bands.

One day, Ronia sees Birk Borkason, the only son of Borka, idling by the chasm. He is the only other child she has ever met, and so she is sorry that he is a Borka. He engages her in a game of jumping across, which does not end until Birk almost falls down. Ronia saves him, and they eventually become friends.

The following winter is long and cold and although Matt's robbers are well fed, their counterparts are suffering on the other side of the chasm. Ronia brings food to Birk through a secret passageway. They get very close but both know that they cannot tell their families. Later that year, Birk is captured by Ronia's father. Ronia gives herself to the Borkas so she must be exchanged, but as a result, her father disowns her and refuses to acknowledge her as his daughter. Birk and Ronia run away to the woods, where they live in a cave and experience several harrowing adventures with the wood's indigenous wildlife, including trolls, forest gnomes, and harpies. Ultimately their families repent of their feuding, and everyone is reunited, but the story concludes with both Ronia and Birk deciding that the robber's life is not for them.

Louis Creed, a doctor from Chicago, is appointed director of the University of Maine's campus health service. He moves to a large house near the small town of Ludlow with his wife Rachel, their two young children, Ellie and Gage, and Ellie's cat, Winston Churchill ("Church"). From the moment they arrive, the family runs into trouble: Ellie hurts her knee, and Gage is stung by a bee. Their new neighbor, an elderly man named Jud Crandall, comes to help. He warns Louis and Rachel about the highway that runs past their house, which is frequented by speeding trucks.

Jud and Louis quickly become close friends. Since Louis's father died when he was three, he sees Jud as a surrogate father. A few weeks after the Creeds move in, Jud takes the family on a walk in the woods behind their home. A well-tended path leads to a pet cemetery (misspelled "sematary" on the sign) where the children of the town bury their deceased animals. The outing provokes a heated argument between Louis and Rachel the next day. Rachel disapproves of discussing death, and she worries about how Ellie may be affected by what she saw at the "sematary." It is explained later that Rachel was traumatized by the early death of her sister, Zelda, from spinal meningitis—an issue that is brought up several times in flashbacks. Louis empathizes with his wife and blames her parents for her trauma, who left Rachel at home alone with her sister when she died.

Louis himself has a traumatic experience during the first week of classes. Victor Pascow, a student who has been fatally injured in an automobile accident, addresses his dying words to Louis personally, even though the two men are strangers. On the night following Pascow's death, Louis experiences what he believes is a very vivid dream in which he meets Pascow, who leads him to the deadfall at the back of the "sematary" and warns him not to go beyond there. Louis wakes up in bed the next morning, convinced it was, in fact, a dream—until he finds his feet and bedsheets covered with dried mud and pine needles. Nevertheless, Louis dismisses the dream as the product of the stress he experienced during Pascow's death, coupled with his wife's lingering anxieties about the subject of death.

On Halloween, Jud's wife Norma suffers a near-fatal heart attack but makes a quick recovery thanks to Louis's help. Jud is grateful and decides to repay Louis after Church is run over outside his home around Thanksgiving. Rachel and the kids are visiting Rachel's parents in Chicago, but Louis frets over breaking the bad news to Ellie. Sympathizing with Louis, Jud takes him to the "sematary", supposedly to bury Church. But instead of stopping there, Jud leads Louis farther on to "the real cemetery": an ancient burial ground that was once used by the Miꞌkmaq Tribe. There, Louis buries the cat on Jud's instruction. The next afternoon, Church returns home; the usually vibrant and lively cat now acts ornery and, in Louis's words, "a little dead". Church hunts for mice and birds, ripping them apart without eating them. He also smells so bad that Ellie no longer wants him in her room at night. Jud confirms that Church has been resurrected and that Jud himself once buried his dog there when he was younger. Louis, deeply disturbed, begins to wish that he had not buried Church there.

Several months later, two-year-old Gage is killed by a speeding truck. Overcome with despair, Louis considers bringing his son back to life with the help of the burial ground. Jud, guessing what Louis is planning, attempts to dissuade him by telling him the story of Timmy Baterman, the last person who was resurrected by the burial ground. Timmy Baterman was killed in action during World War II. Timmy's body was shipped back to the United States, and his father Bill buried Timmy in the burial ground. Timmy returned malevolent, terrorizing the people of the town with secrets that Jud asserts he had no earthly way of knowing. Timmy was stopped by his father, Bill, who killed Timmy and set their house on fire before shooting himself. Jud states that he believes that whatever came back was not Timmy, but a "demon" that had possessed his corpse. He concludes that "sometimes, dead is better" and states that "the place has a power... its own evil purpose", and that it may have caused Gage's death because Jud introduced Louis to it.

Despite Jud's warning and his own reservations about the idea, Louis's grief and guilt spur him to carry out his plan. Louis exhumes Gage's body from his grave and inters him in the burial ground. Gage is resurrected, entirely different from when he was alive. Now malicious in both his words and actions, he finds one of Louis's scalpels and kills both Jud and Rachel. Louis kills both Church and Gage with lethal injections of morphine from his medical supply stock.

After burning the Crandall house down, Louis returns to the burial ground with his wife's corpse, thinking that if he buries the body faster than he did Gage's, there will be a different result. Following all of these tragic events, Louis has also aged in physical appearance, with white hair and wrinkles. One of his colleagues, Steve Masterton, notices him walking into the woods with Rachel's body. Steve, while fearful and concerned, is influenced by the power of the burial ground too, and even considers helping Louis bury Rachel, but he flees in terror and eventually moves away to St. Louis. Later, Louis sits indoors alone, playing solitaire, and Rachel's reanimated corpse walks up behind him and drops a cold hand on his shoulder, while its voice rasps, "Darling."

An opening narration explains that Earth was being observed by extraterrestrials with immense intelligence and no compassion. As man dominated the world without doubt, much in the way micro-organisms swarm in a drop of water, these beings plotted to take it all from us.

Divorced longshoreman Ray Ferrier works as a crane operator at a dock in Brooklyn, New York, and is estranged from his children: 10-year-old daughter Rachel, and teenage son Robbie. Ray's pregnant former wife, Mary Ann, drops the two off at his house in Bayonne, New Jersey, on her way to visit her parents in Boston. Later, a strange storm occurs during which lightning strikes multiple times into the middle of a nearby intersection, causing an EMP that instantly fries almost all electronic devices. Ray reluctantly joins the crowd at the scene of the impacts, where a massive "tripod" war machine emerges from the ground and uses powerful energy weapons to destroy the area, disintegrating most of the witnesses into a grey ash.

Ray collects his children, steals a van from the local mechanic after he advised him on how to fix it before heading into town, and drives to Mary Ann's empty home in suburban New Jersey to take refuge. That night, they take shelter in the basement, but they soon hear a strange roaring noise followed by an explosion, which destroys the house. The next morning Ray and Robbie discover that a Boeing 747 had crashed into the neighborhood. Ray meets a wandering news team scavenging the wreckage for food, who explain to him that multiple tripods have attacked major cities around the world, adding that the tripods have force shields to protect them from most of humanity's defences, and the tripods' pilots travelled to Earth within the lightning storms as a way to enter their machines, which are assumed to have been buried underground for thousands of years.

Ray decides to drive the kids to Boston to be with their mother, but a desperate mob swarms round their vehicle, forcing them to abandon it. They eventually get to a Hudson River ferry, only to be surrounded by tripods, which either massacre or abduct many of the refugees, but Ray's family manages to escape. They witness US Marines engaging in a battle with some tripods. Much to Ray's dismay, Robbie eventually joins the futile fight against the aliens, while Ray and Rachel quickly flee the scene. The Marines are obliterated, with Robbie presumed to have been killed with them. Shortly afterwards, the pair are offered shelter in a nearby house by a deranged farmer named Harlan Ogilvy.

The three remain undetected for several days, even as a high-tech inspection camera and a group of aliens explore the basement. They soon discover that the aliens have started cultivating a red-coloured vegetation across the landscape that is quickly spreading, and the group deduces that the aliens are terraforming Earth, and potentially using the red vegetation as a food source. On one morning, Ogilvy suffers a mental breakdown after witnessing the tripods harvesting human blood and tissue to fertilise the alien vegetation. Fearing his mad shouting will alert the aliens, Ray reluctantly kills him. A second tripod camera then catches the Ferriers sleeping, causing Rachel to flee and get abducted by the tripod. Ray then intentionally attracts the aliens' attention to be pulled into the tripod and rescue Rachel; with help from other abductees, Ray destroys the tripod from within with grenades.

A few days later Ray and Rachel arrive in Boston, where they find the alien vegetation withering and the tripods inexplicably collapsing. When an active tripod appears, Ray notices birds landing on it, indicating that its force shields have been disabled. Ray alerts the soldiers escorting the fleeing crowd, who shoot it down using anti-tank missiles. As the soldiers advance on the downed tripod, a hatch opens and a pale, sickly alien struggles halfway out before collapsing and dying. Ray and Rachel finally reach Mary Ann's parents' house, where they are reunited with Mary Ann and Robbie, who had somehow survived.

In closing, the Narrator, echoing Wells' own monologue from the original novel, explains that the aliens' deaths were due to their immune systems being unable to handle the countless microbes that inhabit the Earth, which "God in His wisdom" placed upon the planet to protect humans naturally co-existing with the rest of Earth's biosphere.

Andy and Charlene "Charlie" McGee are a father/daughter pair on the run from a government agency known as The Shop. During his college years, Andy had participated in a Shop experiment dealing with "Lot 6", a drug with hallucinogenic effects similar to LSD. The drug gave his future wife, Victoria Tomlinson, minor telekinetic abilities and him a telepathic form of mind control he refers to as "the push". They both also developed telepathic abilities. Andy's and Vicky's powers were physiologically limited; in his case, overuse of the push gives him crippling migraine headaches and minute brain hemorrhages, but their daughter Charlie developed frighteningly strong pyrokinetic ability.

The novel begins ''in medias res'' with Charlie and Andy on the run from Shop agents in New York City, the latest in a series of attempts by The Shop to capture Andy and Charlie following a disastrous raid on the McGee family in suburban Ohio. After years of Shop surveillance, a botched operation to take Charlie leaves her mother dead; Andy, receiving a psychic flash while having lunch with colleagues, rushes home to discover his wife murdered and his daughter kidnapped. He then uses his push ability to track the trail of Charlie and The Shop agents, catching up to them at a rest stop on the Interstate. He uses the push to incapacitate The Shop agents, leaving one blind and the other comatose. Charlie and Andy flee, and begin a life of running and hiding, using assumed identities. They move several times to avoid discovery before The Shop catches up to them in New York.

Using a combination of the push, Charlie's power, and hitchhiking, the pair escape through Albany, New York and are briefly taken in by a farmer named Irv Manders near the fictional town of Hastings Glen, New York; however, they are tracked down by Shop agents, who attempt to kill Andy and take Charlie at the Manders farm. At Andy's instruction, Charlie unleashes her power, incinerating the entire farm and fending off the agents, killing a few of them. With nowhere else to turn, the pair flees to the fictional town of Tashmore, Vermont and takes refuge in a cabin that had once belonged to Andy's grandfather.

With the Manders farm operation disastrously botched, The Shop's director, Captain James "Cap" Hollister, calls in a Shop assassin named John Rainbird to capture the fugitives. Rainbird, a Cherokee and a Vietnam War veteran, is intrigued by Charlie's power and eventually becomes obsessed with her, determined to befriend her and eventually kill her. This time the operation is successful, and both Andy and Charlie are taken by The Shop.

The pair are separated and imprisoned at The Shop headquarters, located in the fictional Washington, D.C. suburb of Longmont, Virginia. With his spirit broken, Andy becomes an overweight drug addict, seemingly loses his power, and is eventually deemed useless by The Shop. Charlie, however, refuses defiantly to cooperate with The Shop and does not demonstrate her power for them. Six months pass until a power failure provides a turning point for the two: Andy, sick with fear and self-pity, somehow regains the push - subconsciously pushing ''himself'' to overcome his addiction - and Rainbird, masquerading as a simple janitor, befriends Charlie and gains her trust.

By pretending to still be powerless and addicted, Andy manages to gain crucial information by pushing his psychiatrist. Under Rainbird's guidance, Charlie begins to demonstrate her power, which has grown to fearsome levels. After the suicide of his psychiatrist, Andy is able to meet and push Cap, using him to plan his and Charlie's escape from the facility, as well as to finally communicate with Charlie. Rainbird discovers Andy's plan, however, and decides to use it to his advantage.

Andy's plan succeeds, and he and Charlie are reunited in a barn for the first time in six months but Rainbird is already there, planning to kill them both. A crucial distraction is provided by Cap, who is losing his mind from a side effect of being pushed. Andy pushes Rainbird into leaping from the upper level of the barn, breaking his leg. Rainbird then shoots Andy in the neck and fires another shot at Charlie, but she uses her power to melt the bullet in midair, and then sets Rainbird and Cap on fire. Mortally wounded, Andy then instructs Charlie to use her power to escape and to inform the public, to make sure the government cannot do anything like this ever again. After he dies, Charlie, grief-stricken and furious, sets the barn on fire; she then uses her pyrokinesis to kill the employees and blow up their getaway vehicles. The military is called, but Charlie obliterates their vehicles; when they fire at her, she melts their bullets. Charlie blows up the building, leaving the entire Shop facility burning, with almost everyone dead.

The event is covered up by the government and released to the media as a terrorist firebomb attack. The Shop quickly reforms, under new leadership, and begins a manhunt for Charlie, who has returned to the Manders farm. After some deliberation, she comes up with a plan and leaves the Manders', just ahead of Shop operatives, and heads to New York City. She decides on ''Rolling Stone'' magazine as an unbiased, honest media source with no ties to the government, and the book ends as she arrives to tell them her story.

The main story is centered on Aaron Quicksilver (played by Christopher Lloyd), a travelling showman who tells horror stories to the people he meets. He first runs into a newly married couple who are hitchhiking, to whom he tells the story "Chattery Teeth", about a man who is saved from a dangerous hitchhiker by a set of wind-up toy teeth. He later runs into a pickpocket to whom he tells "The Body Politic", a story about a man whose hands rebel against him.

Islington, 9 August 1967. Literary agent Peggy Ramsay knocks on the door of playwright Joe Orton and his lover Kenneth Halliwell, but nobody opens. She calls the police. They find the corpses of the two men. A decade later theatre critic John Lahr visits Peggy Ramsey because he wants to write Orton's biography. They find Orton's diaries, and Peggy tells Lahr about Orton's life.

Orton and Halliwell's relationship began at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts. Orton started out as the uneducated youth to Halliwell's older faux-sophisticate. As the relationship progressed, however, Orton grew increasingly confident in his talent while Halliwell's writing stagnated. They fell into a parody of a traditional married couple, with Orton as the "husband" and Halliwell as the long-suffering and increasingly ignored "wife" (a situation exacerbated at a time when being a sexually active homosexual was illegal). Orton was commissioned to write a screenplay for The Beatles. Halliwell got carried away in preparing for a meeting with the "Fab Four", but Orton was taken away for a meeting on his own. Finally, in August 1967, a despondent Halliwell kills Orton and commits suicide.

Charlie Decker, a Maine high school senior, is called to a meeting with his principal about a previous incident in which he struck his chemistry teacher with a pipe wrench, leading to the teacher's hospitalization and Charlie's suspension. Charlie then subjects the principal to a series of insulting remarks, resulting in his expulsion. Charlie storms out of the office and retrieves a pistol from his locker, then sets the contents of his locker on fire. He then returns to his classroom and fatally shoots his algebra teacher, Miss Jean Underwood. The fire triggers an alarm, but Charlie forces his classmates to stay in the room, killing a history teacher, Mr. Peter Vance, when he attempts to enter. As the other students and teachers evacuate the school, the police and media arrive at the scene.

Over the following four hours, Charlie toys with various authority figures who attempt to negotiate with him, including the principal, the school psychologist, and the local police chief. Charlie gives them certain commands, threatening to kill students if they do not comply. Charlie also admits to his hostages that he does not know what has compelled him to commit his deeds, believing he will regret them when the situation is over. As his fellow students start identifying with Charlie, he unwittingly turns his class into a sort of psychotherapy group, causing his schoolmates to semi-voluntarily tell embarrassing secrets regarding themselves and each other.

Interspersed throughout are narrative flashbacks to Charlie's troubled childhood, particularly his tumultuous relationship with his abusive father Carl. Several notable incidents include a violent disagreement between two female students and a police sniper's attempt to shoot Charlie through the heart. However, Charlie survives due to having earlier put the combination lock from his locker into the breast pocket of his shirt, where it stops the bullet.

Charlie finally comes to the realization that only one student is really being held against his will: a seeming "Big Man On Campus" named Ted Jones, who is harboring his own secrets. Ted realizes this and attempts to escape the classroom, but the other students brutally assault him, driving him into a battered catatonic state. At 1:00 p.m., Charlie releases the students, but Ted is unable to move under his own power and remains. When the police chief enters the classroom, the now-unarmed Charlie moves as if to shoot him, attempting suicide by cop. The chief shoots Charlie, but he survives and is found not guilty by reason of insanity and committed to a psychiatric hospital in Augusta, Maine until he can answer for his actions.

The final chapters contain an inter-office memo concerning Ted's treatment and prognosis at the hospital where he is now a patient, and a letter from one of Charlie's friends describing assorted developments in the students' lives during the months following this incident. The story ends with Charlie addressing the reader: "That's the end. I have to turn off the light now. Good night."

Along a residential street in the suburban town of Wentworth, Ohio, a paperboy is suddenly shot by a mysterious stranger in a red van. The neighborhood’s panicked civilians run for shelter while author Johnny Marinville attempts to contact the police. However, an otherworldly force prevents the call from going through. Two other colorful vans, each driven by mysterious and odd strangers, later appear and kill three more residents. Former police officer Collie Entragian directs the affected residents and corrals them into the homes of victim David Carver and veterinarian Tom Billingsley. Only two residents remain indoors the entire time, seemingly unfazed: Audrey Wyler and her autistic nephew Seth, whom she has been caring for since the death of his family two years ago, remain silent among the chaos.

During a trip to a mining town in Desperation, Nevada, an evil, otherworldly being named Tak took possession of Seth's body after it was released from a mine. Implementing strong mental influence, it later killed Seth’s parents and siblings. Tak then forced Audrey's husband to commit suicide. To survive, Audrey took refuge in a mental construct of her creation, modeling her safe place after a favorite retreat. Seth, meanwhile, is sent into the deep recesses of his mind while Tak is in control and suffers poor hygiene and nutrition as a result of the creature’s neglect. Because of his autism, Seth displays a gifted mental strength that is likely the reason Tak was drawn to him in the first place. It also helps keep his mind intact while Tak is in control.

Tak is the source of the vans, which are derived from the cartoon ''MotoKops 2200'', which Seth watches religiously. Seth also often watches a Western movie named ''The Regulators'', and Tak eventually transforms the neighborhood into an Old West landscape with no way to escape, as some of the residents soon find.

After several other people are killed in various ways (including Collie, after being mistakenly shot by a neighborhood teenager named Jim Reed, who then committed impulse suicide), Seth makes time for Audrey to escape the house while Tak is preoccupied. Audrey puts a laxative in Seth's milk she takes the chance to go across the street to the Carver's home and she explains the situation to the others. Seth ingests the laxative which causes Tak to leave Seth's body temporarily as it cannot stand witnessing the boy defecate. She slips back to the house with Johnny to try to rescue Seth before Tak returns, but Cammie Reed follows, with a gun. Distraught over the death of her son, Jim, earlier, Cammie kills Seth, and mortally wounds Audrey as Tak tries to re-enter the boy’s body. Tak’s attention is then diverted to her and it enters Cammie’s body instead. However, she cannot hold up to Tak the way that Seth could and her body is destroyed as a result of the possession. Tak leaves her in the form of smoke and dissipates in the wind. The vans disappear and the landscape is returned to its normal state.

A short epilogue in the form of a letter reveals that Seth’s and Audrey’s spirits have taken up residence at the meadow from Audrey’s mental sanctuary, and live there happily in what is implied to be an alternate parallel paradise.

The film is a picaresque tale about a blue-crowned conure who humans can understand named Paulie (voice of Jay Mohr), and his long quest to return to his owner. Misha Vilyenkov (Tony Shalhoub), a Russian immigrant and former teacher of literature, lives in America and works as a janitor at an institute. He encounters Paulie there and is shocked to see him speaking as clearly as a human. Subsequently, he doesn't speak a word when Misha brings others to witness him.

Misha entices Paulie to tell him his story by offering him pieces of mango. He starts by telling about his original owner, a little girl named Marie (Hallie Eisenberg) who stutters. The story transitions to a flashback scene in which he is a baby. As Marie works on speech therapy, he begins to speak too, beginning with understanding the meaning of words and progressing to the construction of complex sentences. Marie's father, Warren (Matt Craven), a soldier, returns home from Vietnam and decides that Paulie is not helping her. His resentment of the close bond between them, and their shared progress in speech development, is evident. It becomes obvious that Warren wants Marie to forget Paulie, when he brings her a cat, which Paulie does not get along with. Once again, Warren accuses him for Marie's speaking problems and believes she has imagined his ability to speak to humans. Eventually, after a dramatic event in which she falls off the roof in an attempt to teach Paulie to fly, Warren convinces her mother, Lila (Laura Harrington), to send him away, which devastates Marie.

Paulie is passed from one owner to another, eventually ending up in a pawn shop, owned by Artie (Buddy Hackett) where he spends his time insulting the customers. One day, a shady customer named Benny (Jay Mohr) shows interest in purchasing him, thinking he could profit from his ability to talk to humans. Before he can act, however, a widowed artist named Ivy (Gena Rowlands) purchases him with the intent of reforming his rude personality. She befriends him and agrees to help him find Marie, who has moved to Los Angeles. They begin traveling using her mobile home, but when she loses her sight in the middle of their trip, Paulie decides to stay and take care of her. After she dies, Paulie, having finally learned to fly, continues his journey.

In East Los Angeles, Paulie joins a group of performing conures owned by migrant musician Ignacio (Cheech Marin), temporarily forgetting about Marie as he develops feelings for a female conure named Lupe. At one of his performances, Benny, having also moved to Los Angeles, recognizes him and attempts to purchase him from Ignacio. When Ignacio refuses his offer, Benny makes a phony police call at one of his performances. As the police show up, Benny kidnaps Paulie amidst all the chaos and Ignacio is arrested and presumably deported. Under Benny's influence, Paulie begins a life of crime. In a botched jewel theft, he flies down through the chimney of a house, where he is trapped inside, and then abandoned.

Paulie is then brought to the institute, his current home, where Dr. Reingold (Bruce Davison), the head of the institute, his employees and fellow scientists are stunned by his ability to speak to humans. They subject him to testing, and Reingold promises that he will be reunited with Marie when they are done. When he discovers that he has been lied to—that Marie has been found but the institute has instead decided to keep him as their property—he refuses to cooperate with any more tests, humiliating Reingold in front of his scientific peers by acting like an ordinary parrot and then insulting him. As a result, his wings are clipped, and he is eventually imprisoned in the basement when he starts pecking the researchers.

Moved by Paulie's story, Misha decides to give up his menial job to release him and take him to Marie. After escaping from the institute, freeing the encaged animals, and taking a bus to her address, they find her, now a full grown, beautiful young woman (Trini Alvarado) unrecognizable to Paulie. After a moment of confusion, Paulie and Marie are happily reunited as she sings his favorite song and he remembers her. The film ends with the trio happily entering her house.

U.S. Army Captain Frank Dux has trained in the ways of ninjutsu under his sensei Senzo Tanaka. As a boy, Dux and a group of his friends broke into Tanaka's home to steal a katana, but Dux was apprehended while returning the katana to its place. Impressed by Dux's integrity and toughness, Senzo decided to train him alongside his son, Shingo. After Shingo's death, Senzo trains Dux as a member of the Tanaka clan. Dux is invited to the Kumite, an illegal martial arts tournament in Hong Kong. After his Army superiors refuse to let him go, Dux goes absent without leave, says goodbye to his sensei and leaves for Hong Kong. Two Criminal Investigation Command agents, Helmer and Rawlins, are assigned to track down and arrest Dux.

After arriving in Hong Kong, Dux befriends American fighter Ray Jackson and their guide Victor Lin. When they arrive at the Kumite arena, the officials are skeptical but eventually accept them after Dux proves his connection to the Tanaka clan by performing the Dim Mak death touch. On the first day of the tournament, Dux earns the enmity of the ruthless Kumite champion Chong Li after breaking his record for the fastest knockout.

Dux becomes involved with American journalist Janice Kent, who is investigating the Kumite. Although Dux refuses to help her, she sneaks into the arena by agreeing to a date with another spectator. On the second day, Jackson is matched against Chong Li. Although Jackson comes close to defeating Li, he wastes time gloating, allowing Li to recover and brutally beat him. Dux visits Jackson in the hospital and vows to avenge him. After witnessing the brutality of the tournament, Kent argues with Dux and tries to convince him not to return. Dux tells her that he has to win in order to become the best he can be.

Helmer and Rawlins arrive in Hong Kong and contact local police inspector Chen. They begin asking around for Dux and track him down to his hotel. A chase through the downtown ensues but Dux evades them when they fall into a canal. When Dux arrives at the Kumite, Helmer and Rawlins are waiting for him, along with Chen and four of his officers. Dux defeats them, but agrees to return with Helmer and Rawlins after the tournament.

On the final day, Li kills his semifinal opponent, much to the consternation of the crowd. Fearing defeat, Li conceals a salt pill in his waistband before the final match against Dux. When Dux gains the upper hand, Li blinds him by crushing the pill and throwing it into Dux's face. Dux falls back on his training from Tanaka, who taught him to fight blindfolded, overcoming the handicap and defeating Li. The next day, he bids farewell to Kent and Jackson before returning to the United States with Helmer and Rawlins.

In 1987 in Bayonne, New Jersey, Debby Miller has been diagnosed with the condition hysterical blindness in which there are times when her sight fades in and out. The doctor tells her to try to have fun with her friends. She and her best friend Beth go to their favorite pub, Ollie's, and try to find a man and have a drink. Beth flirts with the bartender, and Debby grows angry with her and goes outside where she meets Rick. He wants little to do with her, but she convinces him to escort her to her car. As a 'thank you,' she offers to buy him a drink and tells him that she will be at the same bar tomorrow.

The next day, they see each other at Ollies's, and she asks him to go somewhere else; eventually they are at his house. It is clear that Rick has little interest in Debby, so to move things along, she tells him that she 'gives a great blow job.' Afterward, she thinks she has found love, but Rick is only looking for a one-night stand. Debby goes home.

Her mother Virginia has been dating an older man, Nick, who wants her to move with him to Florida. However, Nick dies from a heart attack. Virginia realizes that until she met Nick, she lived her life, waiting for things to happen to her. In the end, Debby, Beth and Virginia struggle to find stability in their New Jersey town and agree that all they need is each other.

In 1958, while working at a fancy party as a pianist, Tom Ripley is approached by shipping magnate Herbert Greenleaf, who believes that Ripley attended Princeton with his son, Dickie, because Ripley wears a borrowed Princeton jacket. Greenleaf recruits Ripley to travel to Italy, where Dickie has settled, to persuade him to return to the United States. Greenleaf offers Ripley a $1000 bonus and all expenses paid. After a first-class ocean liner voyage, Ripley pretends to be Dickie in the Italian ship terminal and strikes up a friendship with an American socialite, Meredith Logue.

In the seaside village of Mongibello, Ripley befriends Dickie and his girlfriend Marge Sherwood, claiming to be Dickie's former Princeton classmate. Ripley enjoys Dickie's extravagant lifestyle and becomes obsessed with him. Eventually Dickie tires of him and starts spending time with his patrician, socialite friend Freddie Miles, who treats Ripley with contempt. When he returns from Rome, Dickie catches Ripley dressed in his clothes and dancing in front of a mirror, which disturbs him.

When Dickie impregnates a local woman and spurns her, she is so distraught that she drowns herself. Ripley, aware of what has happened, promises Dickie to keep it a secret. After Dickie's father cuts off Ripley's travel funds, Dickie cancels a trip to Venice and tells Ripley they should part ways, but offers to take him on a final trip to Sanremo. They argue aboard a small boat; Dickie says he has grown tired of Ripley and is going to marry Marge. Ripley insinuates that Dickie is rejecting him because he is afraid of the feelings they have developed for each other. They struggle and Ripley kills Dickie with an oar. He takes Dickie's belongings and scuttles the boat.

Realizing that people mistake him for Dickie, Ripley assumes his identity. He forges a letter to Marge, convincing her that Dickie has broken off their relationship and moved to Rome. He creates the illusion that Dickie is still alive by checking into one hotel as Dickie and another as himself, fabricating an exchange of communications between the two. Through forgery, he is able to draw on Dickie's allowance, which allows him to live lavishly. He runs into Meredith, who still knows him as Dickie, in the Gucci store in Rome, and accepts an invitation from her to attend an opera with her family. Ripley's ruse is threatened when he unexpectedly runs into Marge and her friend Peter Smith-Kingsley at the opera. Ripley rushes Meredith out of the opera house on a pretext, then breaks it off with her to prevent himself from being exposed.

Freddie shows up at Ripley's apartment looking for Dickie. When the landlady addresses Ripley as Dickie, Freddie realizes the fraud. Exposed, Ripley bludgeons Freddie to death and disposes of his body. After the body is found, Inspector Roverini and other police officers visit the apartment to question "Dickie". To evade the police and Marge, both of whom are looking for Dickie, Ripley forges a suicide note with "Dickie" claiming responsibility for Freddie's death. Under his real name, Ripley then travels to Venice, where he re-encounters Marge's friend Peter. Peter acts as Ripley's interpreter for a meeting with the local police to discuss Dickie. Ripley is alarmed when he learns the Venetian police have summoned an inspector from Rome. He is relieved when the investigator who arrives is not Roverini (who knows Ripley as Dickie), but a different officer who has never met Ripley before.

Dickie's father arrives in Italy with a private detective, Alvin MacCarron, and meets with the police. Ripley is about to kill Marge when she discovers that he has Dickie's rings and deduces what happened, but they are interrupted by Peter, with whom Ripley has become very close. Mr. Greenleaf dismisses Marge's suspicions and MacCarron reveals to Ripley that the police are convinced that Dickie, who had a history of violence, murdered Freddie before killing himself. MacCarron tells Ripley that to reward him for his loyalty to Dickie and to ensure his silence Greenleaf intends to bequeath a portion of Dickie's trust fund to him.

Free and clear of his crimes, Ripley boards a ship to Greece with Peter; it is implied they are now lovers. Ripley is surprised to encounter Meredith, who still believes he is Dickie and also knows Peter socially. Ripley kisses her and promises to talk later. In his cabin, Peter tells Ripley he saw him kiss Meredith, and Ripley makes weak excuses. Ripley admits that he lied about who he is, and laments that he will always be alone because of what he has done. He asks Peter to tell him good things about Tom Ripley and sobs as he strangles Peter to death.

''The Two Georges'', being displayed in New Liverpool, is stolen while a crowd is distracted by the murder of 'Honest' Dick (a.k.a. 'Tricky' Dick), the Steamer King, a nationally-known used car salesman. In its place is left a gramophone with a recording of the "Yankee Doodle," a notorious subversive song serving as the anthem of the Sons of Liberty.

Colonel Thomas Bushell of the Royal American Mounted Police leads the search for the painting, accompanied by its former curator (and his eventual love interest) Dr. Kathleen Flannery and Captain Samuel Stanley. Some days later, a ransom note is received from the Sons of Liberty. The Governor-General of the North American Union, Sir Martin Luther King, informs Bushell in confidence that the painting must be recovered before King-Emperor Charles III's state visit, or the government will have to pay the Sons' ransom demand of fifty million pounds.

The search takes Bushell, Flannery, and Stanley across the country via airship (an advanced form of dirigible), train, and steamer. They also meet many members of the Sons of Liberty, including ''Common Sense'' editor John F. Kennedy.

After chasing many false leads and the wrong suspects, Bushell and his associates arrive at Victoria (the nation's capital, on the south side of the Potomac River across from Georgestown, Maryland); during a reception at the Russian Embassy, Bushell encounters his ex-wife Irene, who had an affair with and subsequently married Sir David Clarke, Governor-General King's chief of staff. ''The Two Georges'' is found undamaged in a self-storage facility an hour before the King arrives. They also uncover the true culprits: the Holy Alliance and Bushell's superior officer and covert Sons of Liberty operative, Lieutenant General Sir Horace Bragg, who believed that emancipation was an injustice to his formerly slavocratic family. Bushell then thwarts Bragg's attempts to assassinate the King, first by gunfire then by a bomb concealed in the frame of ''The Two Georges''. When Bragg is arrested and awaiting trial, he and Bushell argue over the outcomes of a potential war against the Holy Alliance and a resultant American separatist uprising caused by the theft of the painting. Later, Bushell and Stanley are both knighted by King Charles for their accomplishments.

Setting

''Solid Snake'' is set in a near-future world in which the Cold War continued into the 1990s and ending sometime before the end of the 20th century, with the game's events taking place in 1999 three years after the events of the original ''Metal Gear'' (later retconned to four years in ''Metal Gear Solid'').

Characters

Solid Snake, formerly retired FOXHOUND agent and hero of the original ''Metal Gear'' returns as the playable character. His new mission is to rescue the kidnapped Czechoslovak biologist Dr. Kio Marv from the forces of Zanzibarland. He is assisted by a radio support crew consisting of Roy Kyanbel ("Roy Campbell" in later versions), his new commanding officer; McDonnell Miller, a survival coach and drill instructor; George Kesler ("George Kasler" in later versions), a military strategist; and Yozev Norden (renamed Johan Jacobsen in the later revised versions), a wildlife expert. Also assisting him on-site are Horry White ("Holly White" in later versions), a CIA agent posing as a journalist; Natasha Marcova (Gustava Heffner in later versions), an StB agent and Dr. Marv's bodyguard; and Dr. Petrovich Madnar ("Drago Pettrovich Madnar" in newer versions), the Metal Gear designer from the first game, who was captured along with Dr. Marv. Also appearing in the game are Big Boss, the renegade former commander of FOXHOUND, and Grey Fox ("Gray Fox" in later versions), who disappeared following the events of the Outer Heaven incident.

The bosses of this installment consist of Black Color (Black Ninja in later versions), an experimental drug-enhanced ninja from a disbanded NASA project (who is revealed to be Kyle Schneider from the original ''Metal Gear''); Running Man, a former Olympic runner turned terrorist; Red Blaster, an explosive expert from Spetsnaz; Ultra Box (the Four Horsemen in later version), an assassination squad specializing in confined spaces; Predator (Jungle Evil in later versions), a jungle warfare expert from the South African Reconnaissance Command; and Night Sight (Night Fright in later versions), an assassin from Vietnam who uses a state of the art stealth suit that renders him invisible to both radar and the human eye.

Story

Solid Snake confronts Gray Fox in one of the final battles.

A major oil crisis seriously affects the global economy in the late 1990s, with petrol deposits running out faster than previous estimates. Efforts to adopt alternative energy sources or attempts to drill for more oil fails to take up the slack. To counter the problem, Czech scientist Dr. Kio Marv bio-engineers a new species of algae, OILIX, that could produce petroleum-grade hydrocarbons with little expense and effort. He unveils the algae to the World Energy Conference in Prague and was on his way to a demonstration in the United States when he was kidnapped by soldiers from Zanzibarland, a Central Asian country established in 1997 after a successful independence war against the Soviet Union. NATO discovers that Zanzibarland's leaders plan to hold the world hostage by controlling the supply of oil through OILIX and nuclear warheads pillaged from old stockpiles marked for dismantling in light of global efforts toward nuclear disarmament. FOXHOUND's new commander, Roy Campbell, brings Solid Snake out of retirement and sends him to Zanzibarland to rescue Dr. Marv on Christmas Eve 1999.

Over the course of his mission, Snake teams up with Holly White, a CIA operative posing as a journalist, and Gustava Heffner, an StB agent and Dr. Marv's bodyguard. He is also reunited with Dr. Drago Pettrovich Madnar, the Metal Gear inventor from Outer Heaven, who claims to have been once again kidnapped and forced to work on another Metal Gear project (named Metal Gear D) for Zanzibarland, as well as oversee mass-production of smaller, non-nuclear-equipped Metal Gear units. Snake learns from Dr. Madnar that Big Boss, Snake's former superior, survived the events of the first game and now leads Zanzibarland.

As Snake, Heffner, and Dr. Madnar head toward Zanzibarland's main prison, Heffner is killed by a missile fired by Metal Gear D and Dr. Madnar is recaptured by the enemy. The new Metal Gear's pilot is revealed to be Gray Fox. Determined to finish his mission, Snake fights against Zanzibarland's elite mercenary force and manages to reach Dr. Marv's cell.

Snake arrives too late, as he finds Dr. Marv's corpse and the OILIX data. Holly later tips him off that he actually died under Dr. Madnar's torture. In addition, Snake learns that Madnar volunteered his services to Zanzibarland to finish work on Metal Gear as revenge against the scientific community shunning him after the events of the first game. Snake incapacitates Madnar when the latter attempts to attack him.

Snake faces off against Gray Fox in Metal Gear D and eventually destroys the mech. Both men later fight hand-to-hand in a minefield, and Snake finishes him off. As he tries to escape, Snake meets Big Boss. Having lost his equipment and with no weapons at his disposal, Snake is forced to improvise using the only items he can find: a lighter and aerosol can. Fashioning a makeshift flamethrower, Snake defeats Big Boss for the second time. Snake and Holly escape together, and they deliver the OILIX formula to Campbell.

While waiting up late one night, Holmes and Watson are visited by the night watchman of a famous waxworks and his grand–daughter. The watchman has noticed that the playing cards in the hand of a wax figure in a Chamber of Horrors exhibit have changed. Holmes becomes immediately interested in this mystery and sends Watson to the exhibit to remove the cards in an orderly fashion and to bring them back to him in some envelopes. Holmes then demonstrates that the altered cards are related to the scandalous behavior of a gentleman and his wagering on horse races.

Two versions of the Darlington Substitution Scandal, which had been mentioned in "A Scandal in Bohemia", are referenced in this story.

Holmes and Watson are called to a house in Deptford, due to the concerns of a young woman about her safety. Several of her relatives have died in the past few years of heart attacks. A relative who trains canaries also lives in the house. Holmes is not able to detect anything amiss until he and Watson are en route home, but he suddenly solves the mystery and returns to Deptford to save the life of the young woman from a death by heart failure.

Prologue

A young boy named Billy Hopkins (Joe Hill) gets disciplined by his abusive father Stan (Tom Atkins) for reading a horror comic titled ''Creepshow''. After swiping the comic from Billy and throwing it in the garbage, Stan tells his wife (Iva Jean Saraceni) that he has to be hard on Billy because he does not want their son to be exposed to the comic's content, calling it "horror crap". As Billy sits upstairs, wishing that his father rots in Hell, he hears a sound at the window.

The source of the noise turns out to be the Creep, the host of the comic book, beckoning him to come closer. The film transitions to animation as the Creep removes the trash can's lid, transitioning to the opening credits. When the credits end, the film transitions to the first story.

"Father's Day"

The first story, "Father's Day," is an original story by King written for the film.

Sylvia Grantham (Carrie Nye) meets her nephew Richard (Warner Shook) and niece Cass (Elizabeth Regan), along with Cass's new husband Hank (Ed Harris) at the Grantham estate for the family's annual dinner on the third Sunday in June. They proceed to tell Hank about the family matriarch, Great Aunt Bedelia (Viveca Lindfors), and of how it is an open secret in the family that she murdered her late father: the miserly and domineering Nathan Grantham (Jon Lormer) who had accumulated the family's fortune through bootlegging, fraud, extortion, and murder-for-hire.

Many years earlier, Bedelia was rendered an unstable spinster, the result of a lifetime spent putting up with her father's incessant demands and emotional abuse, which got even worse after he suffered a stroke and she was made to nurse him full-time. The torture culminated with Nathan orchestrating a fatal "hunting accident", which took the life of his daughter's fiancé Peter Yarbro (Peter Messer), in order to keep her under his thumb. That Father's Day, Bedelia, driven into a murderous rage by Nathan's constant insults and his petulant demands for his cake, bashed her overbearing father's head in with a marble ashtray (that is hidden throughout the other stories).

In the present day, Bedelia arrives at Grantham Manor that evening. She stops by the family cemetery, just outside the mansion, to lay a flower at her father's grave. She drunkenly reminisces about the murder, and reveals that Sylvia staged the killing as an accident in order to steal and distribute Nathan's fortune among the rest of the family. She accidentally spills her whiskey bottle in front of the headstone. Just then, Nathan's reanimated, putrefied, maggot-infested corpse (John Amplas) emerges from the burial plot, still demanding the Father's Day cake he never got. He avenges himself on Bedelia, strangling her. He proceeds to systematically wipe out the rest of his family: telekinetically crushing Hank to death with a gravestone, then twisting Sylvia's neck; he also kills Mrs. Danvers (Nann Mogg), the Granthams' cook, possibly to cover his tracks. As a gruesome final joke, Nathan surprises Cass and Richard by presenting them with his Father's Day cake: Sylvia's severed head, covered with frosting and lit candles.

While the ending is left ambiguous in the film, with Nathan gloating over a terrified Cass and Richard in freeze-frame, the comic book based on the film has the Creep giving a vague hint that Nathan's next act was to "blow out their candles".

Returning to animation, the Creep turns the comic book's page to the next story.

"The Lonesome Death of Jordy Verrill"

This section of the film is based on King's short story "Weeds".

Jordy Verrill (Stephen King), a comedic and dim-witted backwoods yokel, watches as a meteorite crash lands on his farm. Observing the crash site, Jordy gets his fingers burned when he tries to touch the meteorite. In a fantasy sequence, Jordy imagines selling the meteorite to the local college's "Department of Meteors", hoping that the sale will provide enough money to pay off a $200 bank loan. Taking precautions, he douses the meteorite with a bucket of water, causing it to crack open and spill a glowing blue liquid. In another fantasy sequence, Jordy imagines the "Department of Meteors" refusing to purchase the now broken meteorite. Resolving to try and glue the halves together in the morning, Jordy nonchalantly dumps the liquid inside the meteor into the soil, but not before the substance makes contact with his skin.

As time passes, Jordy finds his fingers being overcome by what appears to be grass. He attempts to call a doctor (Bingo O'Malley), but he reconsiders doing so when he imagines (in another fantasy sequence) that the doctor will chop the afflicted fingers off without anesthetic. Over time, the strange substance continue to grow all over Jordy's farm, everything Jordy has touched, and even on Jordy's body, which causes him to itch furiously. Jordy panics as he discovers the increasing growth, and tries to calm himself by pouring himself a bottle of vodka and mixing it with orange juice. Soon after, Jordy falls asleep in a drunken stupor.

Jordy wakes up sometime later, believing the experience to have been a dream, but his hopes are dashed when he sees that the plant growth has managed to reach inside the house, as well as discovering in a mirror that he has now grown a green beard. He starts to draw a bath to relieve the itching, but he is visited by the ghost of his deceased father (Bingo O'Malley), who appears in his mirror and warns him against doing so by telling him that water is what the plants want. Grimly rationalizing that not getting in would only delay the inevitable, Jordy laments that "[he's] a goner already." When the itching from the growth on his skin becomes unbearable, Jordy succumbs to temptation and collapses into the bathwater.

The next morning, Jordy's farm has been completely coated with dense layers of the alien vegetation, with Jordy himself transformed into a human-shaped collection of plant matter. In despair, he reaches for a shotgun, prays to God that his luck will be in just this once, and blows the top of his head off, killing himself. Immediately afterwards, a TV weather forecast announces that moderate temperatures and heavy rains are predicted, the implication being that this will accelerate the spread of the extraterrestrial plant growth to surrounding areas, and will continue to the point where the Earth may be terraformed into an entirely green planet.

Returning to animation, a gust of wind turns the comic book's page (briefly passing over an advertisement for a voodoo doll that is missing its order form) to the next story.

"Something to Tide You Over"

This story was also written specifically for the film.

Richard Vickers (Leslie Nielsen) is a vicious and heartless millionaire whose spry jocularity belies his cold-blooded and murderous nature. He visits Harry Wentworth (Ted Danson), the man with whom his wife Becky (Gaylen Ross) is having an affair. Richard mentions that he and Becky never shared any actual affection, but such is beside the issue; Richard's point of honor is always keeping what's "his", a rule that he enforces no matter what. Rather than physically assault Harry, Richard plays a recording of Becky's voice, where she tearfully begs Harry to help her. Both men travel to Comfort Point, Richard's isolated beach house. Richard points out what appears to be a burial mound in the sand. When Harry promptly runs to it, Richard pulls a gun on him. He forces Harry to jump into the empty hole and begin burying himself.

Eventually, Richard finishes burying Harry neck-deep in the sand below the high-tide line. Richard then sets up a closed-circuit TV camera and a VCR to record Harry. He also brings along a monitor displaying Becky, who is also buried up to her neck further down the beach, where the rising tide is already washing over her face. Richard does tell Harry that he and Becky have a chance of survival: if they can hold their breath long enough for the sand to loosen once the seawater covers them, they can break free and escape. With that, Richard abandons Harry and returns to Comfort Point. Sipping a cocktail, Richard watches with great satisfaction as Harry and Becky slowly drown. Just before Harry is completely submerged by the advancing tide, he looks directly into the camera and vows revenge on Richard.

Hours later, Richard returns to Harry's "grave" to collect the tape. He finds the ruined monitor, but no sign of Harry. Not disturbed, Richard writes this off as the body having been carried away by the current. Later that night, Richard hears voices calling his name, as a mysterious unseen presence easily bypasses Comfort Point's extensive security system. The culprits turn out to be Harry and Becky, the two lovers having returned as waterlogged, seaweed-covered revenants intent on revenge on their killer. Richard shoots them, but when the bullets have no effect, he barricades himself in his bedroom, only to find Becky and Harry already inside. The two victims taunt Richard, who laughs insanely.

Sometime later, the undead lovers have buried Richard up to his neck on the beach. They have since disappeared together into the surf, leaving Richard's own seaweed-covered video camera to record his coming demise. As the approaching tide proceeds to drown him, the hysterical Richard screams that he can hold his breath "for a LONG time!"

Returning to animation, a stronger gust of wind blows the comic book out of the trash can and onto the street, where it opens to the next story.

"The Crate"

This section of the film is based on the short story of the same name.

Mike Latimer (Don Keefer), a janitor at Horlicks University, drops a quarter he was flipping which rolls behind a grate under a basement staircase. While attempting to retrieve the coin, he comes across a wooden storage crate marked "Ship to Horlicks University via Julia Carpenter - Arctic Expedition - June 19, 1834" hidden underneath the staircase. He calls Professor Dexter Stanley (Fritz Weaver) to notify him of the discovery, drawing Dexter away from a faculty social gathering. Also at the gathering are Dexter's best friend, the mild-mannered Professor Henry Northrup (Hal Holbrook), and Henry's perpetually drunk, obnoxious, and emotionally-abusive wife Wilma "Billie" (Adrienne Barbeau), who has a penchant for embarrassing herself, belittling her husband, and annoying or insulting everybody she meets. Henry regularly fantasizes about killing his horrific wife, but is far too timid to actually go through with it.

Stanley meets Mike at Amberson Hall, where the former discovers the crate. Both men move the crate into a nearby biology lab, where they tirelessly work to get it open. In the process, Mike sticks his hand inside the crate and begins yelling in pain. The crate opens to reveal its contents: a shaggy, ape-like creature with sharp fangs (Darryl Ferrucci). Despite its diminutive size, the creature promptly kills and devours Mike whole, leaving behind only his mangled boot. Fleeing the lab, Dexter bumps into graduate student Charlie Gereson (Robert Harper), to whom he frantically relays what happened. While skeptical, Charlie agrees to investigate the professor's claims. The two find the lab covered in blood, with no sign of the creature or its crate. They discover that the crate has been moved back under the stairs, where they also discover Mike's boot. Wanting to measure the bite marks on the boot, Charlie examines the crate closer. The creature pounces on Charlie and kills him, prompting Dexter to escape and take the boot with him.

Traumatized and hysterical, Dexter runs to Henry's house after Wilma leaves for the evening. He tells Henry everything that happened since the crate was discovered, and insists that the monster must be disposed of somehow. Seeing the supposed creature as an ideal way to rid himself of his wife, Henry appears to believe Dexter's story. To this end, Henry spikes Dexter's drink with sleeping pills and writes a note stating that Dexter had supposedly assaulted a female student. This brings Wilma rushing to Amberson Hall, where Henry has since cleaned up the bloody lab. When Wilma arrives, Henry lures her under the basement stairs, trying to awaken the creature. As Wilma rants at Henry for dragging her out there in the middle of the night and assaulting her, the beast awakens and proceeds to eat her.

The next morning, Henry tells Dexter that he secured the beast inside its crate, and then dumped the crate into a nearby quarry, watching as it sank to the bottom. He convinces Dexter that the creature has drowned, and both men agree to let the authorities handle the disappearances. Unknown to Henry and Dexter, the beast is shown to still be alive, and is last seen tearing the submerged crate apart.

Returning to animation, it begins raining as the comic book turns to the next page, beginning the final story.

"They're Creeping Up on You!"

This last story was also written specifically for the film.

Upson Pratt (E.G. Marshall) is a ruthlessly cruel business mogul who suffers from mysophobia, which has rendered him living in a hermetically-sealed penthouse apartment outfitted with electric locks and surveillance cameras. His apparent contacts with the outside world are through the telephone and are primarily made to put-upon employees. One stormy night, Pratt receives a call from George Gendron, one of his subordinates, about the fact that his company (Pratt International) has recently instigated a corporate takeover of the Pacific Aerodyne company. Gendron also informs Mr. Pratt that the takeover caused a business rival, Norman Castonmeyer, to commit suicide, much to Pratt's delight.

During the call, Pratt slowly begins finding cockroaches around his apartment. Being a fanatical insect hater, Pratt arms himself with bug spray in an attempt to combat the insects. Before long, someone manages to get through on Pratt's private line. The caller turns out to be Norman Castonmeyer's widow Lenore (Ann Muffly), who tearfully recalls her husband's final moments and curses Pratt for causing his death. After finding pieces of cockroaches in his food processor, Pratt receives a call from his building's superintendent Carl Reynolds (Mike Tierno), currently on vacation in Orlando. Despite his vacation, Pratt forces Reynolds to send the building's handyman Mr. White to call an exterminator under the threat of firing him.

Soon after, Pratt discovers more cockroaches in a box of cereal, trying and failing to crush any that he can. Mr. White (David Early) soon arrives outside Pratt's door, and tells him (speaking in a stereotypical minstrel voice to mock him) that he is calling a fumigation service. A rolling blackout then heads towards the building. During the blackout, cockroaches numbering in the hundreds of thousands begin pouring out of every nook and cranny in Pratt's apartment. As the insects overwhelm Pratt, he activates the emergency power and attempts to call the police for assistance. The police are unfortunately unable to be of any help because of the blackout, nor is Mr. White, who is stuck in the elevator.

At his wit's end, Pratt locks himself inside a climate-controlled panic room to escape the growing swarm of cockroaches. He gets to get another call from Lenore, who continues to curse at him. It's during this call that Pratt finds his bedcovers wriggling, and he removes them to discover that the cockroaches have already invaded the panic room. With no way for Pratt to escape, the cockroach swarm charges at him, which induces a fatal heart attack.

When electricity returns to the building, the apartment is utterly devoid of cockroaches. Pratt's corpse is shown in the panic room as Mr. White calls in to report. When he gets no answer, Mr. White mockingly asks Pratt "Bugs got your tongue?" Pratt's body soon begins to contort as cockroaches burst out of his mouth and chest, re-enveloping the panic room. Mr. White continues to call Pratt's name to get a response, then calls him a bastard when he gets no answer.

Returning to animation, one last gust of wind blows the comic book further down the street, where it lands on a nearby curb.

Epilogue

The next morning, two garbage collectors (Marty Schiff and Tom Savini) find the ''Creepshow'' comic book on the curb. They look at the ads in the book for X-ray specs and a Charles Atlas bodybuilding course. They also see the advertisement for the voodoo doll that was briefly glimpsed earlier, but lament that the order form has already been redeemed.

Inside the Hopkins house, Stan complains to his wife that he is suffering from a stiff neck, figuring that he must have strained it. Upstairs, Billy is revealed to have sent away for the voodoo doll, and has decorated it with a piece of his father's clothing and some of his hair. Stan clutches his throat in pain as Billy repeatedly and gleefully jabs the voodoo doll with a pin, finally getting revenge on his father for his abuse.

Transitioning to animation for a final time, the images of Billy jabbing the doll becomes the cover of the next issue of ''Creepshow''. The Creep is seen holding the same comic book, laughing sinisterly as a candle goes out.

The story takes place towards the end of July 1907. Holmes is enjoying his retirement in Sussex when one day at the beach, he meets his friend Harold Stackhurst, the headmaster of a nearby preparatory school called The Gables. No sooner have they met than Stackhurst's science teacher, Fitzroy McPherson, staggers up to them, clearly in agony and wearing only an overcoat and trousers. As he collapses, he mutters "lion's mane", and then dies. They see welts all over his back, possibly administered by a flexible weapon of some kind, for the marks curve over his shoulder and around his ribs.

Moments later, Ian Murdoch, a mathematics teacher at The Gables, comes up behind them. He has not seen the attack and has only just arrived at the beach from the school. Holmes sees a couple of people far up the beach, but thinks they are much too far away to have had anything to do with McPherson's death. Likewise, the few fishing boats off the beach are too far out.

It emerges that Murdoch and McPherson were friends, but had not always been. Murdoch is an enigmatic fellow with an occasional bad temper. He once threw McPherson's dog through a plate-glass window, for instance. Despite this, Stackhurst is sure that the two were on good terms with each other.

McPherson had a lover; Maud Bellamy was McPherson's fiancée. A note confirming a meeting with her was found on McPherson.

Holmes looks at the lagoon formed by a recent storm that local men have been using as a bathing pond. He sees McPherson's towel lying there dry and concludes that he never went into the water. Holmes arranges to have the caves and other nooks at the foot of the cliffs searched. Nothing and no-one turns up, which is what Holmes expected would be the case.

Stackhurst and Holmes visit Miss Bellamy, to see whether she can shed any light on this perplexing mystery. Just as they are approaching The Haven, the Bellamys' house, they see Ian Murdoch emerge. Stackhurst demands to know what he was doing there, and an angry exchange ensues with Murdoch declaring that it is none of Stackhurst's business. Stackhurst loses his temper and sacks Murdoch on the spot. Murdoch then storms off to get ready to move out.

They visit the Bellamys and find a beautiful woman in Maud Bellamy, and two extremely unpleasant men in her father and muscular brother. Mr Bellamy and his son do not approve of the liaison between Maud and McPherson; indeed, they learn of the engagement at this meeting, so secret had been the affair. Maud says that she will help however she can. She says that Murdoch admired her. This, in turn, causes Holmes to suspect that he may be responsible for McPherson's death, out of jealousy.

Then McPherson's dog is found dead at the pool where McPherson met his end. It obviously died in agony, much as its master had. At this point, Holmes begins to suspect something else. The dead McPherson's dying words, "lion's mane", have triggered a memory, but he cannot quite place it.

Inspector Bardle of the Sussex Constabulary visits Holmes to ask if there is enough evidence to arrest Murdoch. Holmes is sure that there is not. Murdoch has an alibi. He also could not have single-handedly overcome McPherson, who was quite strong, despite having heart trouble. The two men consider McPherson's wounds. The weals looked as though they might have been administered by a hot wire mesh, or perhaps a cat o' nine tails. Holmes is poised to go back to the bathing pond to test a theory he has formed which might explain McPherson's death. As he is about to leave, Murdoch arrives, helped in by Stackhurst, who is afraid that Murdoch might be dying; he fainted twice in pain. He has the same wounds on him that McPherson had. In great agony, he passes out, but finally recovers due to his having a stronger heart than McPherson's had been.

At the bathing pond, Holmes spots the murderer: a lion's mane jellyfish (''Cyanea capillata''), a deadly creature about which Holmes has read. Holmes pushes a boulder off a cliffside and crushes the creature underneath it. Murdoch is exonerated. Given his former relationship with Maud, he had helpfully acted as a go-between for her and McPherson to avoid her unfeeling father's learning of the romance, but for the same reason, did not wish to discuss it with anyone. Upon Murdock's learning of McPherson's death, he had gone to tell Maud, and then asked her if he himself could resume his previous romance with her now that McPherson was no longer alive. Maud was too heartbroken over her fiance's sudden demise to want a relationship with anyone for the time being, however, and so she had turned Murdoch down, which explained his sour mood when confronted by Stackhurst a few days earlier. Stackhurst forgives Murdoch and gives him his job back.

After a fight, Joel Barish discovers that his girlfriend Clementine Kruczynski has had her memories of him erased by the New York City firm Lacuna. Heartbroken, he decides to undergo the same procedure. In preparation, he records a tape for Lacuna, recounting his memories of their volatile relationship.

The Lacuna employees work on Joel's brain as he sleeps in his apartment so that he will wake up with no memory of the procedure. One employee, Patrick, leaves to see Clementine; since her procedure, he has been using Joel's and Clementine's memories as a guide for seducing her. While the procedure runs on Joel's brain, technician Stan and secretary Mary party and have sex.

Joel re-experiences his memories of Clementine as they are erased, starting with their last fight. As he reaches earlier, happier memories, he realizes that he does not want to forget her. His mental projection of Clementine suggests that Joel hide her in memories that do not involve her. This halts the procedure, but Stan calls his boss, Howard, who arrives and restarts it. Joel comes to his last remaining memory of Clementine: the day they first met, on a beach in Montauk. As the memory crumbles around them, Clementine tells Joel to meet her in Montauk.

In Joel's apartment, while Stan is outside, Mary tells Howard she is in love with him and they kiss. Howard's wife arrives, and, from the street, sees them through the window. Furious, she tells Howard to tell Mary the truth: that Mary and Howard previously had an affair, and that Mary had her memories erased. Disgusted, Mary steals the Lacuna records and mails them to the patients, including Joel and Clementine.

Joel wakes up, his memories of Clementine erased. He impulsively goes to Montauk and meets Clementine on the train home, but not recognizing each other. They are drawn to each other and go on a date to the frozen Charles River in Boston. Joel drives Clementine home and Patrick sees them, realizing they have found each other again. Joel and Clementine receive their Lacuna records and listen to their tapes. They are shocked by the bitter memories they had of each other, but agree to try again.

The novel focuses on a character called "Snowman", living in a post-apocalyptic world near a small group of primitive and innocent human-like creatures whom he calls ''Crakers''. Flashbacks reveal that Snowman was once a boy named Jimmy who grew up in a world dominated by multinational corporations that built privileged walled compounds to isolate and protect their employees and the employees' families from a degenerating outside society. The companies had operated by developing and marketing advanced technology products such as medical treatments and genetically engineered hybrid animals, but now no other humans are evident, and the compounds have become decaying ruins.

Near starvation, Snowman decides to return to the ruins of a compound named RejoovenEsense to search for supplies, even though his excursion risks encountering dangers including feral populations of the hybridized animals. He concocts an explanation for the Crakers, who regard him as a teacher, and begins his foraging expedition.

In Snowman's recollection of past events, Jimmy's family moves to the HelthWyzer compound, where his father works as a genetic engineer. Jimmy meets and befriends a brilliant science student named Glenn. Jimmy begins to refer to him as Crake when he uses that name in an online trivia game called ''Extinctathon''. Jimmy and Crake spend much of their leisure time playing online games, smoking "skunkweed", and watching underground videos such as live executions, graphic surgery, Noodie News, frog squashing, and child pornography. During one of their child pornography viewings, Jimmy is very much lovestruck by the gazing eyes of a young girl seen in the porn.

After graduating from high school, Crake attends the highly respected Watson–Crick Institute, where he studies advanced bioengineering, but Jimmy ends up at the loathed Martha Graham Academy, where students study humanities, only valued for their propaganda applications. Jimmy gets a job writing ad copy, while Crake becomes a bioengineer at RejoovenEsense. Crake uses his prominent position to create the Crakers, peaceful, gentle, herbivorous humanoids, who have sexual intercourse only during limited polyandrous breeding seasons. His stated purpose for the Crakers, actually a deliberate deception, is to create "floor models" of all the possible options a family could choose in the genetic manipulation of their future children. Crake's bio-engineering team consists of the most expert players gathered from the online ''Extinctathon'' community.

Crake tells Jimmy about another very important project, a Viagra-like super-pill called BlyssPluss, which also promises health and happiness, but secretly causes sterilization in order to address overpopulation. Crake officially hires Jimmy to help market it. At the Rejoov compound, Jimmy notices a human in the Craker habitat and thinks he recognizes her as the girl from the pornographic video. Seemingly unaware of Jimmy's obsession with her, Crake explains that her name is Oryx and that he has hired her as a teacher for the Crakers. Oryx notices Jimmy's feelings for her and makes herself sexually available to him, despite also being Crake's romantic partner. As their relationship progresses, Jimmy becomes increasingly fearful that Crake has found out about it or has known all along. He also makes a promise to both Oryx and Crake that he will look after the Crakers if anything happens to them.

After Crake's wonder drug BlyssPluss is widely distributed, a global pandemic breaks out and begins wiping out the human race and causing mass chaos outside of the protected Rejoov compound. Realizing that the pandemic had been deliberately introduced by Crake and was distributed by including it within BlyssPluss, and sensing further immediate danger, Jimmy grabs a gun and goes to confront Crake, who is returning with Oryx from outside the compound and needs Jimmy to let them in. Crake presents himself to Jimmy with his arm around an unconscious Oryx, saying that he and Jimmy are immune to the virus. Jimmy lets them in, whereupon Crake slits Oryx's throat with a knife. Jimmy then immediately shoots Crake dead.

During Snowman's journey to scavenge supplies, he encounters aggressive hybrid animals and retreats into the RejoovenEsense compound. He finds some indications that other humans have survived seeing smoke on the horizon near the compound and briefly hearing voices on radio receivers in the compound. The cut becomes infected. His treatment of the wound with the medications he can find has some initial success, but the infection later gets worse again. He returns to the Crakers' camp and learns that three other humans have recently encountered the Crakers and are camping nearby. Snowman follows the smoke to where they are gathered around a campfire. Snowman is unsure of what to do, and considers killing them. Whether he introduces himself or quietly flees, and whatever happens afterwards, is left open to question at the end of the book.

Musician Charlie Rogers is fired from a job at a teahouse after brawling with several college students in the parking lot. After a night in jail, Charlie hits the road on his Honda 305 Superhawk motorcycle. He spots Cathy Lean driving with her father Joe, and their employer, Maggie Morgan. When Charlie tries to become friendly with Cathy, Joe forces him off the road and the bike is wrecked after crashing into a wooden fence.

Maggie offers him a place to stay and a job with her struggling traveling carnival while the bike is being repaired. Charlie becomes a "carnie", a roustabout. Maggie recognizes his musical talents and promotes him to feature attraction. His act soon draws large crowds. Off stage, Charlie romances Cathy, which creates animosity with Joe. After the two men repeatedly clash and Charlie is accused of holding back a customer's lost wallet that Joe was accused of stealing, Charlie leaves to star in the much better financed show of rival carnival producer Harry Carver.

Once again, he is a great success. However, when Charlie learns that Maggie is facing bankruptcy, he returns to her carnival. In the musical finale, he is happily reunited with Cathy.

Honey Daniels works as a bartender, a record store clerk and a dance teacher at a community center run by her mother in NYC. Her dream is to become a hip hop choreographer even though her mother presses her to teach ballet Uptown.

When Honey hits the dance floor after her shift at the club where her rival Katrina performs, they are recorded having a dance off. Honey and friend Gina leave the club, finding brothers Benny and Raymond street dancing with other kids. Honey invites them to attend her classes at the community center to inspire new moves.

The video from the club reaches music video director Michael Ellis, who gives Honey a job as a backup dancer in Jadakiss' new video. Unimpressed with his current choreographer, Michael asks Honey to take over. Soon, she is choreographing for Tweet, Sheek Louch, and Shawn Desman. Honey's new choreography career brings her money, fame and freedom, but takes her away from the center and the kids in the neighborhood. Continually working for Michael leads her to Ginuwine's new video.

One day, Honey goes outside and finds Raymond on her building’s doorstep. He tells Honey that Benny hasn’t been going to school lately and got into an altercation with their mother’s boyfriend, which led to him hitting Benny and busting his lip. She then asks Raymond has their mother’s boyfriend ever hit him and he denies it. They then go to look for Benny and, after a while, finally find him at a Chinese restaurant. Benny is angry that Honey hasn't been around and lashes out. She offers him a job as her assistant in the coming week for Tweet's video if he keeps out of trouble. Meanwhile, she convinces Michael to use the kids she teaches in Ginuwine's new video as a fresh take. With Benny keeping his word to stay out of trouble, his drug dealer boss BB goes to Honey's place and threatens her. Chaz, the barber who did Raymond's hair, intervenes, backing BB off. She begins to date Chaz and he inspires her to focus on what makes her happy and not on the fame. She finds an old store she can turn into a dance studio and puts down a hefty deposit.

Honey has to cancel plans to take Gina to Atlantic City for her birthday, as Michael tells her there is an important meeting they can not miss. However, it is actually an exclusive party for networking, and he drunkenly hits on her. She refuses his advances, slaps him, and leaves. Gina is furious when she sees a photo of Honey in the paper being kissed by Michael at the party she claimed was work. On the day of the Ginuwine shoot, Michael retaliates against Honey's rejection by reneging on the video with the kids and firing her, showing up on set with Katrina to use the usual exotic cars and scantily clad females.

The kids are heartbroken and Benny returns to drug dealing, soon landing in juvy after being busted by an undercover officer. When Honey visits him there, Benny acts hostile, insulting her profusely, and telling her to leave him alone. She obliges, but before leaving, asks him how often his gangster friends visit him. Benny becomes heartbroken by this question as he realizes that none of his "friends" have bothered to visit him once, and that his mother and brother haven't visited either due to their disappointment in his bad decisions; he then realizes why Honey cared so much to see him. Benny also sees that Honey is disappointed in him for making bad life choices and being a poor example to Raymond, and that he has mainly disappointed himself for living a life that could get him imprisoned for life or even dead. He finally begins to realize that he can accomplish his hopes and dreams without committing crimes and that he can do so much better with his life.

Depressed over these recent events, Honey is relieved when Gina forgives her, having realized she was trying to ride Honey's coattails and that their friendship is worth more. However, Honey's problems continue: since the ruined Ginuwine video, money hasn't been coming in due to Michael blackballing Honey throughout the industry and the remainder of the down payment needs to be paid, or the store will go back on the market. Honey decides to hold a dance benefit at an abandoned church and Benny (released from juvie) brings his dance friends to help.

Hired to direct a new video for Missy Elliott, Michael pushes Katrina as choreographer, but she only wants Honey. Even after he convinces her to just watch Katrina dance, she's not impressed, says Katrina's sexy dance moves are not for her and leaves. Michael crawls back to Honey, begging her to work for him again. When she declines, he offers to buy her the studio. Realizing that his artists want her back, she refuses both his apology and help, declaring that she will pay for the studio on her own as she now knows her true value. She tells Michael off for his selfishness and arrogance and points out that not only did he fire and blackball her purely out of pettiness, but he also upset and hurt her students who were hoping to be dancers in the Ginuwine video.

Gina talks to the bank manager, who calls some local arts community donors to attend. The benefit consequently is a full house with Honey's parents, Benny and Raymond's mother, Tweet and Honey's boyfriend Chaz in attendance. Everyone becomes wildly enthusiastic about the performances, and Honey's mom finally sees the dance form her daughter loves can give her all that ballet could. The kids bring Honey up, giving her recognition for all she has done and the bank manager assures Honey the building is fully funded.

Missy Elliott arrives as the benefit finishes, rushing in to meet Honey in person. As the credits roll, we watch Missy introduce the R&B group Blaque to Honey at her new dance studio, ''The Bronx Dance Center'' to prepare their new video.

William Race's adventure

Professor William Race is a young linguist, working for NYU is approached by a retired Col. Frank Nash, a physicist from the Defence Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA, to translate a manuscript written in ancient Latin, to find an ancient Incan idol in the South American jungles. Race is told that his brother, Martin Race, was the one who suggested his name, and that his ex college sweetheart, Lauren O'Connor is also accompanying them. Race reluctantly agrees.

En route to Peru, Nash provides Race with photocopied pages of a copy of the Santiago Manuscript, which describes the adventures of Alberto Santiago, a Spanish missionary in ancient Peru, whilst also holding the key to the final resting place of a legendary Incan idol, allegedly made of thyrium-261, an element that, when combined with the mass destruction weapon called Supernova, would destroy a third of the Earth's mass throwing it off from its orbit and effectively killing the planet. The team travels to Cuzco, Peru with physicists Troy Copeland and Lauren O'Connor, archaeologist Gaby Lopez, anthropologist Walter Chambers and a team of six Green Berets, including Race's personal bodyguard Leo Van Lewen.

Race, translating the copy of the manuscript that Frank Nash's team had acquired prior to the flight to Peru, discovers that Santiago and his expedition ended up in Vilcafor, an Incan town deep in the Amazon. However, this was only a partially completed copy, so they didn't know what occurred after Santiago's arrival in Vilcafor. The team decide to use the information in the manuscript to make their way to Vilcafor and find out if the idol resides there.

After arriving in Cuzco, Race's team makes use of Huey helicopters to travel into the Amazon and find Vilcafor, making use of the totem pole clues detailed in the manuscript. After some time in flight, the team finds Vilcafor and lands in the town center. Using a Nucleotide Resonance Imager (NRI), the team discovered a source of Thyrium-261 to the west of Vilcafor, and headed for the source.

This led them to a finger of rock in the middle of a canyon, on which sat an ancient temple, which Lopez and Chambers deduced to be pre-Incan. Nash decided to blow open the temple's entrance with C-2 plastic explosive. However, as this was happening, the two Green Berets left to guard Vilcafor, Corporal 'Doogie' Kennedy and Corporal 'Tex' Reichart, were ambushed by a German assault team. The Germans took the town then with use of 'Apache' attack helicopters took the temple from Nash's team, taking them prisoner and putting them in the town.

The Germans decided to open the temple themselves. However, this unleashed the inhabitants of the temple known as rapas. Rapas, big cats likened to jaguars and previously considered no more than myth, emerged from the temple to first decimate the German temple team then descended on Vilcafor to tear apart the rest of the Germans. Nash's team, separated, had to take drastic option to avoid their own deaths, but were able to survive with only the loss of Walt Chambers to the caimans, crocodilians lurking in the river next to Vilcafor. They were also able to pick up five members of the German team; two soldiers (Lt. Marc Graf and Corporal Molke), two members of the German's equivalent of the FBI, the BKA (Bundes Kriminal Amt), which included Renee Becker and Karl Schroeder, and finally zoologist/cryptozoologist Johann Krauss.

Going on the assumption that the rapas would be averse to daylight, the team sent Green Berets Cpt. Scott and 'Chuck' Wilson as well as one of the German soldiers (Lt. Graf) to the temple to make a second attempt at getting the idol. This failed in a massive bloodbath, with all three soldiers being killed by the rapas after a rapa ambush. They had wrongly assumed, with the rapas using the shade to attack.

Discovering that the Stormtroopers were on their way to Vilcafor, but with no knowing of when they would arrive, Nash's team set to work. The German team had a completed copy of the manuscript, so Race started translating it. Making use of information from the German manuscript, the team decided to make a third attempt on the temple at night, this time sending Corporals 'Buzz' Cochrane and 'Tex' Reichart as well as Sgt. Van Lewen. They made use of monkey faeces acquired by Cochrane to put off the rapas and avoid attack.

However, as this occurred, the Stormtroopers finally made their appearance in Vilcafor, coming out of the rainforest. Using futuristic G-11 assault rifles, they ripped apart the rapas, taking the town. Their communications jammed, Nash sent Race ahead to warn their temple team. He caught up to the temple team as they emerged from the temple with the idol, also discovering a skeleton he presumed to be Renco Capac, the Incan prince in the manuscript. However, the Stormtroopers had also caught up with their own attack helicopter, killing Tex Reichart and wounding Buzz Cochrane. Reichart, having been in possession of the idol when he died, dropped the idol, sending it sliding down the hill. Race attempted to recover it, but almost fell off the top of the rock, using the grappling hook on his M-16 assault rifle to avoid being shot by the Stormtroopers. The Stormtroopers recover the idol and escape, while Race and Van Lewen, the last remaining mobile people on the rock, escaping as well, leaving Cochrane on top of the rock.

Race, Van Lewen, Doogie, Schroeder, Renee and Molke, using an Incan royal escape route under Vilcafor's citadel, give chase to the neo-Nazi Stormtroopers, including Heinrich Anistaze, second in command to Odilo Ehrhardt. Using German jet skis, the team pursue the Nazis, losing Molke in the initial phase of the battle. The team disperses across the Nazi river armada, using divide and conquer techniques to make their force seem larger and disorienting the Nazis. Renee and Race are captured by Ehrhardt and Van Lewen and Doogie Kennedy manage to escape with the use of a Nazi seaplane. Karl Schroeder sacrifices himself using a chlorine isotopic charge that wipes out the rest of the Nazis.

Ehrhardt's helicopter lands in the Nazi's base of operations, a Peruvian gold mine, with Anistaze, Renee and Race aboard as well as Ehrhardt. Ehrhardt announces his plan to use the idol with his own Supernova to ransom the fate of the world to the U.S. Government in order to crash the American economy and build himself a new world. He then sent Race and Renee to be executed by two of his Nazi soldiers. However, they were saved by Uli Peck, a BKA undercover agent who had infiltrated the Nazis and allowed Renee's German team to acquire their manuscript. Race stole the other Nazi's kevlar breastplate from his body, then Renee, Uli and Race set off to stop Ehrhardt. They were confronted by Anistaze and Ehrhardt, with Race decapitating Anistaze and Uli being wounded.

Race managed to stop Ehrhardt and disarm the Nazi Supernova with only two seconds to spare before detonation, after the U.S. Government failed to come up with the ransom money. He had deduced that the weapon's creator, Dr. Fritz Weber, a Nazi scientist who had been killed by Ehrhardt, had used his supposed execution date as the disarm code. However, the secondary explosion of hydrazine drums almost killed Race, but he managed to climb into the Supernova's chamber, and was launched out of the area by the explosion, being recovered by Doogie's seaplane along with Renee and Uli.

At this point, Race makes a litany of discoveries. He learns that Frank Nash is actually not retired, and is an active U.S. Army colonel, and that Nash's team is the Army's bid to justify their existence to the U.S. Congress and avoid liquidation, attempting to undercut the U.S. Navy and Air Force's own bids to acquire the idol. Race also discovers that the idol is a fake, as it didn't resonate when doused in water when the sprinkler system inside the room that the Nazi Supernova was housed had been triggered. His suspicions are confirmed through his final reading of the manuscript, this time using the original manuscript that the Nazis had stolen from the monastery.

Race returns to Vilcafor to join the others, and proves that the idol is indeed in an Incan village past the rock, which is where the NRI scan had actually pointed, not at the temple like the team had first assumed. The real idol is found at an altar, and the Incans there revere and worship Race, as he is found to have a birthmark below his left eye that is similar to Renco Capac's birthmark, reputed to be the Mark of the Sun. Race is made to fight a caiman in order to prove he really is the Chosen One. Race with much difficulty manages to kill the caiman and is celebrated by the Incans. At this moment, the Navy expedition attacks, attempting a snatch-and-grab operation on the idol. Nash's backup team also arrives, attacking and killing the Navy team's Super Stallion helicopters with their own Comanche helicopters. Nash's team arrived in Vilcafor, where they captured the Navy's civilian team, which included Race's brother Marty. Nash began executing the Navy civilians, Van Lewen, Renee and Race helpless as they were held at gunpoint by Troy Copeland. Marty is revealed as Nash's co-conspirator, the man who had provided Nash with his copy of the manuscript. Race attempts to reveal that Lauren, Marty's wife, had been cheating on him with Copeland, but Race is silenced by Marty. Van Lewen is killed by Nash after Van Lewen stepped in front of Nash's gun. Nash attempts to kill Race, but is interrupted by the Incan natives who shoot Nash in the arm with an arrow and ambush the town. Race is again saved after the escaping Nash's gunner is killed by Doogie while attempting to kill Race and Renee with the Army helicopter's cannon.

Nash's team is then set back down by another attacking team, this time a rogue militia known as the Republican Army of Texas. They had recently merged with the Oklahoma Freedom Fighters, a technological militia, and a Japanese doomsday terrorist group. This was the team that had stolen the DARPA Supernova from their headquarters, with the sole purpose of destroying the world. This team was led by Earl Bittiker, a brutal former Navy SEAL. It is revealed by Copeland that he has been in league with Bittiker, betraying Lauren, who had betrayed Marty. Lauren is shot to death by Copeland, while Nash is wounded by Bittiker. Marty is also mortally wounded, but with his final breath clues to Race that Marty was the ignition creator of the DARPA Supernova. The Texans depart with the idol in their possession.

Race, Renee, Doogie and Gaby Lopez give chase in Doogie's seaplane in order to foil the Texan's plan. The Texans board an Antonov An-22 cargo plane and using their Supernova that they have stored in an M1A1 Abrams Main Battle Tank, activate the Supernova. Race commences his one-man assault on the plane, boarding it from the rear loading ramp in mid-air. He manages to get inside the Abrams tank with the Supernova. However, he is accosted by Bittiker. Race starts up the tank's engine, which unbalances Bittiker, then fires the main gun of the tank, managing to decapitate Copeland and kill the Antonov's pilot, sending the plane nosediving. Race the preceded to reverse the tank out of the plane and into the sky.

With the tank free-falling and Bittiker attempting to get inside, having managed to hold on, Race starts trying to disarm the Supernova. Using the information of Marty being the designer of the Supernova's ignition system, he deduces that Marty, as a massive Elvis Presley fan, used Elvis' army serial code for the disarm code of the Supernova. Race manages to disarm the Supernova with 4 seconds to spare, saving the world from destruction. He escapes the falling tank, with Bittiker now trapped inside, and is saved by the breastplate that he had stolen from the dead Nazi in the mine, which turns out to be an experimental DARPA jet pack which had been stolen by the Nazis along with fifteen other jet packs two years previously. Bittiker has no such luck and is killed by the monumental impact of the ground, still inside the tank.

Now Race, Renee, Doogie, Gaby and Uli fly back to the village. Race lures the rapas back into the temple using the idol, wet in order to hypnotise the rapas with the resonance of the idol. Race places the fake idol near the entrance to fool any potential future temple raiders, and notices the bodies left by the Incan natives as sacrifice to the rapas among them including the Navy and Army teams, and sees the treasure of Solon so long sought by explorers over history, but is not tempted and leaves it behind. He manages finds an alternative route out, trapping the rapas back in the temple. Race returns the real idol back to the Indians, advising them to leave the village for elsewhere as more people may come in search for the idol, and departs with the others for home.

Alberto Santiago's Story

Santiago's story takes place five hundred years prior to the main events of the story, in South America. It is told in the form of a story within a story, the memoirs of a Spanish priest during the discovery of South America. Santiago's manuscript appears several times in the story, with Professor Race reading and translating it, providing his comrades with crucial information to reach the idol.

Disgusted by the atrocities of his countrymen on the Incans, Spanish priest Alberto Santiago betrays them when he frees Renco Capac, an Incan prince, from a spanish prison hulk. Much of Santiago's story details his journey with Renco and a criminal named Bassario from Cuzco to the citadel at Vilcafor as they attempt to defend a sacred Incan idol from pursuing conquistadors, led by the wicked Spanish leader Hernando. The Spaniards wish to conquer the Incas and also grab a hidden treasure, as well as kill Alberto for his treachery. The trio travel day in and night out and finally make it to Vilcafor with the idol, where they hope to hide it before Hernando can find them.

At Vilcafor, Alberto is introduced to Renco's widowed sister and her young son, and the other Incans hiding in the citadel. He learns of the Vicious Rapas that come out of the temple at night, and that when made wet, the idol hums a tune which puts the Rapas in a trance. Renco has Bassario make an exact replica of the idol which is fake. Alberto also learns of a treasure hidden in a temple built by one Solon years before, and guarded by Rapas, which the Spaniards are after. The Incans and Alberto reach the temple with the idol keeping the Rapas in trance, and manage to lure them all into the temple, but are attacked by Hernando and the conquistadors before they can completely close the door. Hernando gets the "fake" idol from Renco, but before he can kill them, the conquistadors are attacked by Bassario and the Incans and the returning Rapas. In the fight, Alberto is saved by his bible as it absorbs Hernando's shot. Hernando is killed by Santiago on the rope bridge and the Spaniards are killed by the Incans. Renco then lures the Rapas back into the temple and asks that the stone door be shut behind them, thereby trapping the Rapas inside with him and the idols.

Epilogue

As Professor William Race and the others head home, Race calls and appraises the investigation officers back home about the events. He then proceeds to read the last part of Alberto Santiago's manuscript, which he gets from the village.

Alberto Santiago is now an old man, reminiscing his memories and penning them in a monastery in the mountains of Europe. Renco trapped the Rapas and the fake idol and escaped from the temple with the real one (the same way Race did) and reunited with his comrades. Bassario now has joined the Incas, Alberto married Lena and has two daughters with her. Renco and Alberto are long lived friends, until Lena and Renco pass away in old age. Alberto ends his writings with a short poem sung by the Incans, praising their hero Renco. Race notes that he has the same mark beneath his left eye as described in Renco, but at the very end has the epiphany that only Race had fallen from the sky to save the idol, while Renco hadn't. This implies that Race is in fact the one and only Chosen One as foretold by the Incans.

In the Himalayas, after a failed rescue mission results in a raccoon falling to its death (a parody of ''Cliffhanger''), Ace Ventura succumbs to severe depression and joins a Tibetan monastery. Once he has recovered, he is approached by Fulton Greenwall, an English correspondent working for the consulate of Bonai Province in the fictional African country of Nibia. Because Ace is a liability for the monastery, the Grand Abbot gives Ace excuses to justify his departure, and sends him off with Greenwall.

Greenwall is subjected to Ventura's questionable behavior when he starts mimicking different mating calls, and his reckless driving when they head along to Africa, warning him about the hostility of eastern lowland gorillas, as it is mating season. Greenwall wants Ventura to find the Great White bat 'Shikaka', a sacred animal of the native Wachati tribe, which disappeared shortly after being offered as dowry of the Wachati Princess, who is set to wed the Wachootoo Prince in a marriage of state. After arriving in Nibia and meeting with consul Vincent Cadby, Ace begins his investigation, but must overcome his fear of bats in order to succeed.

Accompanied by his pet capuchin monkey Spike, Ace begins his search for the missing bat. He eventually befriends the tribe's princess, who tries to seduce Ace. However, Ace admits his oath to clerical celibacy. Ace also befriends the tribal prince, Ouda, who assists Ace. Ace's investigation involves eliminating obvious suspects—animal traders, poachers, and a safari park owner among others—and enduring the growing escalations of threat between the Wachati and the Wachootoo. After being attacked with drugged blow-darts, Ace suspects the medicine-man of the Wachootoo of taking the bat, as he strongly disapproves of the wedding.

He and Ouda sneak into the Wachootoo tribal village with hopes of finding the bat, and are soon captured. The Wachootoo mistake Ace as the "White Devil", and after Ouda poorly translates Ace's words, they are convinced he wants to fight them and have him go through many painful and humiliating challenges to gain their trust. He creatively passes them all, and his final challenge is a 'Circle of Death' fight with their toughest warrior—who, although wild, happens to be tiny; Ace disregards him at first but is soon humiliated. In a finishing strike, the warrior throws a spear at Ace's leg, causing him to wail comically in pain. Ouda throws Ace another spear to help, but it strikes his other leg and causes him further pain; this makes the chief, the entire tribe, and even Ouda laugh uproariously, and the Wachootoo grant Ace their trust and release him.

Despite this, the Wachootoo declare that if the bat is not returned in time, they will declare war on the Wachati tribe. As a parting joke, Ace is shot in the buttock by a non-drugged blow-dart by the Chief to make his people laugh again. As he and Ouda walk back to the village, Ace realizes the dart he was shot with earlier is not the same as the one he was just shot with—meaning that the Wachootoo didn't take Shikaka. He also determines that the dart which shot him earlier was carved from a rare red fungus-bearing acala. This leads him to find two Australian poachers with the bat, and he distracts them by mimicking a Silverback mating call. Unfortunately, they don't fall for it and shoot the initial darts into him, take him away and attempt to kill him by tying him to a raft which is sent over a waterfall.

After coming to, Ace survives and wrestles a Nile crocodile. Ace tries to figure out how the poachers are involved with the war between the tribes. Flummoxed by the case, Ace consults the Grand Abbot via astral projection. Advised by the Abbot, Ace deduces that Cadby has taken the bat, having planned to let the tribes destroy each other so that he can then take possession of the numerous bat caves containing guano to sell as fertilizer worth billions. When Ace confronts Cadby, he learns he was hired as Cadby's alibi once an investigation takes place, and is arrested by tribal security chief Hitu. Ace escapes with help from an Asian elephant who joins him and more jungle animals to raid Cadby's house. Cadby tries to shoot Ace, but is stopped by Greenwall when he punches him in the face. Cadby escapes with the bat in a Land Rover, but Ace follows him in a monster truck. Ace destroys Cadby's car, leaving the bat cage lodged in a tree.

Ace, despite his chronic fear of bats, courageously yet dramatically grabs the bat with his bare hands and returns it just as the tribes are about to fight each other on the battlefield. Cadby, watching nearby, is noticed by Ouda, who calls him the "White Devil" and incites both tribes to pursue him, giving Ace more time. After escaping, Cadby encounters an amorous female Silverback eastern lowland gorilla, who mistakes him for a mate. The Wachati Princess is married to the Wachootoo Prince, who is revealed to be the 'tiny, wild' warrior who humiliated Ace during the 'Circle of Death' tribal challenge earlier. Moments later, it is discovered that the young bride is no longer a virgin, on Ace's account. Despite this, peace between the once-separate tribes is achieved when the two tribes join together and chase after Ace.

The troll in this story is based on the troll from the ''Three Billy Goats Gruff'' fairy tale. However, in this story, no goats ever cross the troll's bridge and he is forced to survive on fish that he catches from the river. He does encounter, in turn, a spider, a mouse and a rabbit, each of which convinces the troll not to eat them by telling him that he should try a bridge further down the river that is more suitable for capturing goats as he is "sick of fish". Meanwhile, the pirate captain Hank Chief and his crew (Peg Polkadot, Ben Buckle, and Percy Patch) are searching for the treasure that is marked on their map, but are unable to locate the correct island. The pirates also display very poor culinary skills. Eventually, the troll reaches the sea and realises that he has been tricked by the other animals; he sees what he thinks are goat tracks in the sand and sets about laying a trap for the goat in a spot not too far from the location on the pirate's treasure map. He duly discovers an old chest when digging a large hole to ensnare his prey and throws away the "round shiny objects" he finds therein. He decides to lie in wait in the chest for the goat and falls asleep. Predictably, the pirates then arrive and make off with their "treasure"; upon opening the chest the pirates decide to make the troll walk the plank, until Peg discovers the troll's frying pan and cookbook. On discovering the troll's culinary talents, they agree to spare the troll and make him their cook. The troll is delighted and proceeds to tell the pirates that he will make them his favourite goat stew only to be advised, to his horror, that all the pirates desire is fish.

'''Act I'''

Vernon Hines, the efficiency expert at the Sleep-Tite Pajama Factory in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, breaks the fourth wall to introduce the story ("The Pajama Game Opening"). Inside the factory, workers churn out pajamas at a backbreaking pace ("Racing with the Clock"). In the middle of this, Sid Sorokin, has come from out of town to work in the factory as the new superintendent ("A New Town Is a Blue Town"). The union, led by Prez, is seeking a wage raise of seven-and-a-half cents an hour, though the company president, Myron Hasler, refuses to give way. Katherine "Babe" Williams is the leader of the Union Grievance Committee. Sid and Babe are in opposite camps, yet romantic interest is sparked at their first encounter. Despite cajoling from her fellow garment workers, Babe appears to reject Sid ("I'm Not At All in Love"). Meanwhile, Hines is in love with Gladys Hotchkiss, the company president's secretary, but is pushing her away with his jealous behavior. After witnessing a fight between the couple, Sid's secretary, Mabel, tries to help Hines break from his jealous ways ("I'll Never Be Jealous Again"). Meanwhile, Sid, rejected again by Babe, is forced to confide his feelings to a dictaphone ("Hey There").

During the annual company picnic, kicked off with the official ''Sleep-Tite'' Company Anthem ("Sleep-Tite"), Hines demonstrates his knife throwing act while intoxicated, almost striking Babe while attempting to knock an apple off her head. Prez chases after Gladys, who rejects his advances ("Her Is"). Babe warms up to Sid, and they turn the entire picnic into a celebratory dance ("Once a Year Day"). As the picnic-goers head home, Prez turns his attentions to Mae, who responds in the positive far more quickly and aggressively than he'd expected ("Her Is (Reprise)"). At Babe's home, Sid's romantic overtures are deflected by Babe, who makes casual conversation on tangential subjects ("Small Talk"). Eventually the walls come down between the two, who admit their love for one another ("There Once Was a Man"), but their estrangement is reinforced when they return to the factory. A slow-down is staged by the union, strongly supported by Babe ("Racing with the Clock (Reprise)"). Sid, as factory superintendent, demands an "honest day's work" and threatens to fire slackers. Babe, however, is still determined to fight for their cause, and intentionally jams the factory line, causing a breakdown, and Sid reluctantly fires her. As she leaves, he begins to wonder again whether a romance with her is a mistake ("Hey There (Reprise)").

'''Act II'''

At the Union meeting, after a rallying speech by Prez, Gladys (Mae in the 2006 revival) performs for the rest of the union, with "the boys from the cutting room floor" ("Steam Heat"). After the main meeting, the Grievance Committee meets at Babe's house, to discuss further tactics, such as mismatching sizes of pajamas and sewing the fly-buttons onto the bottoms such that they are likely to come off and leave their wearer pants-less. At the meeting, as Prez and Mae's relationship is waning, Sid arrives and tries to smooth things over with Babe. Despite her feelings for Sid, she pushes him away ("Hey There (Reprise)").

Back at the factory, the girls reassure Hines, who is personally offended by the slow down, that he is doing nothing wrong ("Think of the Time I Save"). Hasler has a meeting in his office with Max, one of the company's traveling salesmen, about an incident that occurred in Peoria, Illinois. Hines is called in to try on pajama pants, which fall down in front of everybody just as Gladys walks in. Believing that he is fooling around, she angrily dismisses him. Sid, now convinced that Babe's championship of the union is justified, takes Gladys out for the evening to a night club, Hernando's Hideaway ("Hernando's Hideaway"), where he wheedles the key to the company's books from her. Hines and Babe each discover the pair and assume they are becoming romantically involved. Babe storms out, and Hines believes his jealous imaginings have come true ("I'll Never Be Jealous Again Ballet").

Using Gladys' key, Sid accesses the firm's books and discovers that Hasler, has already tacked on the extra seven and one-half cents to the production cost, but has kept all the extra profits for himself. Hines, still jealous out of his mind, has broken into Gladys' office, and flings knives past Sid and Gladys, narrowly missing an increasingly paranoid Mr. Hasler. After detaining Hines, Sid then brings about Hasler's consent to a pay raise and rushes to bring the news to the Union Rally, already in progress ("7½ Cents"). This news brings peace to the factory and to his love life, allowing him to reconnect with Babe ("There Once Was a Man (Reprise)"). Everyone goes out to celebrate at Hernando's Hideaway clothed in company brand pajamas ("The Pajama Game Finale").

Lorenzo is a bright and vibrant young boy living in the Comoro Islands, as his father Augusto Odone works for the World Bank and is stationed there. However, after relocating with his parents to the United States, he begins to show signs of neurological problems (such as falling, loss of hearing, tantrums, etc.). The boy is diagnosed as having adrenoleukodystrophy (ALD), which is fatal within two years. Failing to find a doctor capable of treating their son's rare disease, Augusto and his wife, Michaela, set out on a mission to find a treatment to save their son. In their quest, the Odones clash with doctors, scientists and a support group that is skeptical that anything could be done about ALD, much less by laypeople. But they persist, setting up camp in medical libraries, reviewing animal experiments, enlisting the aid of Professor Gus Nikolais, badgering researchers, questioning top doctors all over the world and even organizing an international symposium about the disease.

Despite research dead-ends, the horror of watching their son's health decline and being surrounded by skeptics (including the coordinators of the support group they attend), they persist until they finally hit upon a possible therapy. The Odones sponsor an international meeting of scientists doing research on ALD, requiring two conditions ahead of time. First they insist that the meeting focus on potential treatments and second, they require that they be allowed to participate, despite being non-scientist laypeople. The pivotal scene in the movie portrays this meeting, in which the scientists are presenting their research. When Dr. William B. Rizzo mentions his studies in which the addition of oleic acid to cultured cells blocked accumulation of the factors which cause ALD, the Odones jump into the conversation, asking if this oil might help their son. Although the scientists play down their hope, pointing out that it would take years of work to produce the oil and test in clinical trials, the Odones seize the promise of this possible curative treatment. As the scene ends, Michaela Odone is shown beginning the effort to find someone able and willing to produce the same oil Dr. Rizzo gave to his cells. They contact over 100 firms around the world until they find an elderly British chemist, Don Suddaby, who is working for Croda International and is willing to take on the challenge of distilling the proper formula.

The Odones obtain a precious vial of the oil (actually containing two specific long chain fatty acids, isolated from rapeseed oil and olive oil) and add it to their son's diet. This treatment proves successful in normalizing the accumulation of the very long chain fatty acids (which had been causing their son's steady decline), as measured in blood levels. This treatment halts the progression of his disease and is dubbed "Lorenzo's Oil". This oil is soon found to be successful in preventing the progression of harm in other patients with ALD. Meanwhile, Lorenzo has a great deal of neurological damage, and the Odones are dismayed to see that the oil can reverse their son's symptoms only very, very slowly. The Odones realize that more rapid improvement of his son's severe condition will require treatments to repair the myelin sheath (a lipid insulator) around the nerves, and Augusto is shown taking on the new challenge of organizing biomedical efforts to heal myelin damage in patients.

Finally, Lorenzo, at the age of 14, shows definite improvement (swallowing for himself and answering "yes" or "no" questions by blinking) and it is revealed that he has regained his sight, can move his head from side to side, vocalize simple sounds and is learning to use a computer. The movie ends with scenes of ALD patients who were treated with Lorenzo's Oil earlier in the course of their disease. In these patients the devastating neurological problems from which Lorenzo suffered were able to be prevented.

After finishing a long shift as a nurse at the Milwaukee County Hospital, Ana Clark returns to her suburban neighborhood and her husband Luis. Caught up in a date night, they miss an emergency news bulletin. The next morning, Vivian, a girl from the neighborhood enters and bites Luis. Ana forces Vivian outside and tries to call for help. While she is dialing, Luis bleeds out, reanimates and attacks Ana. She flees in her car, crashes, and passes out. Upon waking, she joins police sergeant Kenneth Hall, electronics salesman Michael Shaunessy, petty criminal Andre and his pregnant wife, Luda. They break into a nearby shopping mall and are attacked by a zombie security guard, who slightly bites Luda. Three guards — C.J., Bart, and Terry — make them surrender their weapons in exchange for refuge. They split into groups to secure the mall. On the roof, they see another survivor, Andy, who is stranded in his gun store across the zombie-infested parking lot. A broadcast from a television features a group of police officers burning the corpses of zombies and instructs the viewers to shoot zombies in the head to kill them quickly, prompting the survivors to heed this advice.

The next day, a delivery truck carrying more survivors enters the lot, pursued by zombies. They include Norma, Steve, Tucker, Monica, Glen, Frank and his daughter, Nicole. Another woman is too ill to walk; she is wheeled inside, only to die and reanimate. After she is killed, the group determines the disease is passed by bites. Luda keeps her bite a secret from the group, though Andre knows. Frank, who has been bitten, elects to be isolated. When he reanimates, Kenneth shoots him.

Kenneth and Andy start a friendship by way of messages written on a whiteboard; romance buds between Ana and Michael, as well as Nicole and Terry. When the power goes out, a few of the survivors go to the parking garage to activate the emergency generator and find a friendly dog who is adopted by Nicole and named Chips. Zombies kill Bart, forcing the others to douse the zombies in gasoline and set them ablaze. Meanwhile, Luda — tied up by Andre — dies before giving birth. She reanimates and Norma kills her. This makes Andre snap; he exchanges gunfire with Norma and the two kill each other. The others find a zombie baby in Andre's arms delivered after Luda's death, which they reluctantly kill. The group decides to fight their way to the marina and travel on Steve's yacht to an island on Lake Michigan. They reinforce two shuttle buses from the garage; welding on a snowplow, attaching metal bars and chains as well as stocking chainsaws, propane tanks and road flares.

To rescue Andy, the group straps supplies onto Chips and lower him into the parking lot; the zombies have no interest in him. Chips enters Andy's store safely, but a zombie follows and bites Andy. Pursuing Chips, Nicole crashes the delivery truck into the gun store, where she is trapped by a zombified Andy. A group of them reach the gun store via the sewers, kill Andy, and rescue Nicole. They grab ammunition and go back to the mall; along the way, Tucker breaks his legs, and at his request C.J. shoots him. Once inside, they are unable to lock the door because Steve temporarily abandoned his guard duty. Zombies storm the mall, forcing an evacuation via the buses.

While navigating the city, Glen loses control of a chainsaw, accidentally killing Monica. In the chaos, their bus crashes, killing Glen. Steve tries to flee on his own but is ambushed by a zombie. Ana kills the zombified Steve and retrieves his boat keys. At the marina, C.J. sacrifices himself by detonating a propane tank so the others can escape. Michael, after revealing a bite wound, kills himself as Ana, Kenneth, Nicole, Terry, and Chips flee on the yacht.

Footage from a camcorder found on the boat shows the group run out of supplies, arrive at an island and get attacked by a swarm of zombies. The camcorder drops, leaving their fate unknown.

Holmes is consulted by a young lady, a companion to an older woman, about the eccentric behavior of a young man she has met. He behaves normally, but becomes a raging maniac whenever he encounters a clock. The young woman personally has seen him smash two clocks and heard from the man's servant of five other incidents. Holmes must travel to a distant seaport to gather information to resolve a horrible, terrorist scheme and solve the mystery of the aberrant behavior.

Holmes and Watson are invited by Scotland Yard Inspector Gregson to accompany him to an ancient country mansion in Derbyshire. The crime scene remains undisturbed, indicating that the lord of the manor has been decapitated by the guillotine in his own museum. His head and his cousin, Captain Lothian, are both missing, along with a horse from the stable. Holmes annoys a local police inspector named Dawlish by lingering over the crime scene, but quickly resolves the mystery.

Season 1

The series begins with the arrival of Dr. Andrew "Andy" Brown (Treat Williams), a widower who leaves his successful job as a top Manhattan neurosurgeon to live in a small Colorado town, bringing his 9-year-old daughter Delia (Vivien Cardone) and 15-year-old son Ephram (Gregory Smith) with him. He chooses the town of Everwood because his late wife had told him of her emotional attachment to the town. Many of the story lines revolve around settling into a new town, dealing with the death of the mother and wife of the family, and the growing relationship between Andy and his son, who did not interact much in New York, due to the demands of Andy's job. Andy at first finds some conflict with Dr. Harold Abbott (Tom Amandes), with whom his professional opinions differ. However, Harold's cranky demeanor and Andy's passive, cheerful attitude prove to mesh well, and the two begin a friendly rivalry. Ephram continually struggles with his emerging adolescence, his studies as a classical pianist, and his crush on Amy (Emily VanCamp), Harold's daughter.

The first season revolves around the main storyline involving Colin Hart (Mike Erwin), Amy's boyfriend and older brother Bright's (Chris Pratt) best friend. Amy sees the arrival of Andy as an opportunity: Colin has been in a coma since July 4 of the previous summer, after Bright and he were in a car accident. Amy befriends Ephram in an effort to convince Andy to revive his neurosurgeon skills to save Colin. Andy reluctantly agrees. Amy is elated, but Bright is sullen and distant about the situation. Later, he tearfully confesses to his father that—contrary to what he had claimed all summer—he does in fact remember the accident: He was the one driving Colin's father's truck and the two boys were drunk at the time. His anguish is relieved when Andy is successful, and soon Colin is awake.

In the meantime, Ephram's maternal grandparents come to visit their new home in the fall and Ephram decides he wants to move back to New York City to live with them. Ephram's grandfather—also a surgeon—berates Andy into letting Ephram go. Delia and her grandmother befriend Edna Harper (Debra Mooney), a semi-retired army nurse and Harold's estranged mother. They decide to throw her a surprise birthday party at the Browns' home. During the party, in front of all the guests, Ephram and Andy have a loud fight about his moving to New York City. The two stalk to different parts of the house with no decision resolved. Andy and his father-in-law also begin to fight about the situation but are interrupted because Bright has collapsed. He needs his appendix removed, but the snow has prevented travel to the nearest hospital, so they do emergency surgery on him in Andy's office. Andy sees how concerned and loving Harold is toward his son and resolves to try and patch things up with Ephram. He confesses that he will be "half a man" if Ephram leaves, and as a result Ephram decides to stay.

Andy meets his next-door neighbor Nina Feeney (Stephanie Niznik) after a loud fight with Ephram in the front yard. She is friendly but outspoken and honest. Nina eventually explains that she is serving as a surrogate mother for a woman who was unable to conceive. A scandal erupts when Nina has the baby and it is revealed that the mother is well over fifty, but Andy supports Nina's decision.

All is not well for Colin. He returns home and re-enrolls in school, but he has lost most of his memory, including his memory of Amy. Under pressure to step back into his old life, Colin befriends Ephram since the latter is the only person who does not have a preconceived notion of him. Amy, meanwhile, struggles with emerging feelings for Ephram as he has an unsuccessful relationship with Colin's sister, Laynie. His lingering attachment to Amy flares up at inopportune moments, causing Laynie to break it off.

Soon Colin begins lashing out violently and acting out emotionally and loses his friendship with Ephram. Ephram tries to let his friends know that Colin is not acting normally, but Amy believes he is just jealous of her relationship with Colin and that Colin is "under a lot of stress". Bright, frustrated at Colin's friendship with Ephram in the first place, refuses to listen as well, until Colin accosts Ephram outside the local diner, proceeding to uncharacteristically punch Bright in the face when he objects to Colin's roughness. Andy believes Ephram (also following a grievous, self-inflicted hand injury during a homecoming ceremony) and brings the subject up with Colin's parents. They are unwilling to believe that Colin is anything but fully recovered and fire Andy from Colin's care. Physical symptoms begin to manifest as well, and eventually Colin collapses. It is learned there are complications from the first surgery. Colin's parents ask Andrew to operate again, but then he experiences complications during the surgery.

Season 2

The beginning of Season 2 reveals Colin's fate. The entire town blames Andy for "killing" Colin. They stop going to his practice and shun his children. Andy stands by his decision and eventually admits to Ephram that he could have saved Colin's life, but he would have been mentally and physically disabled and, at Colin's insistence, promised that he would not let him live that way.

Amy struggles with Colin's death and falls into a deep depression, eventually going on medication and meeting Tommy Callahan, a drug-dealing loner who becomes more than a friend. She considers sleeping with Tommy but backs out of it every time he brings it up. Harold buys her a new car to try and cheer her up, but Amy continues to act out and fail in school. Rose (Merrilyn Gann), Harold's wife and the town mayor, tells her husband that he is babying her and she is unwelcome in her house until she follows the rules, which forces Amy to move in with Edna. Amy's downward spiral continues until Tommy takes her to a wild party. He gives her a bottle of water laced with GHB. Already intoxicated, Amy drinks it, then has a hallucination of Colin, who tells her to let him go and to get on with her life. The vision shocks her back to reality, and she realizes that Tommy has drunk most of the water himself and subsequently overdosed. Amy does the only thing she can think of and calls her father for help. Tommy recovers, but Amy is scared straight. She dumps him, moves back in with her parents, and begins to improve her behavior and mood.

Ephram, meanwhile, has found love with Madison, a 20-year-old college student whom Andy has hired to babysit Delia. She is a girl whom Ephram initially despises for her condescending attitude toward him. After a few false starts, he eventually loses his virginity to her.

The second season has several other important plot developments. Andy finds a new love interest in Linda Abbott, Harold's globe-trotting sister, also a doctor but practicing in Africa. A scandal at Harold and Linda's office occurs when it is revealed to the populace of Everwood that Linda had contracted HIV from a victim of an African civil war incident. As a result, Harold loses his liability insurance coverage, and Linda quits her holistic health practice and leaves town, also ending her romance with Andy. Harold tries to open a new bagel shop but meets with failure. Andy then invites him as a partner, since Andy's insurance would cover Harold's practice. Harold reluctantly agrees.

Nina goes through a divorce with her recently outed husband Carl and has to go to court over custody of her son Sam, a case which she eventually wins with Andy's support.

A lonely Bright grows more tolerant of Ephram, and the two eventually become good friends.

Ephram continues his on-and-off relationship with Madison. In an effort to prove how mature he is, he sneaks into bars to see her band and produces many awkward moments by showing up when she is out with her college friends. Finally she decides that the timing of their relationship is off and breaks up with Ephram. She tries to continue working with the Browns, but Delia fires her, saying that she likes Madison but that Madison's presence makes Ephram sad. She later confesses to Andy that she is pregnant with Ephram's child. Andy tells her he will pay for all her expenses if she agrees to keep the pregnancy from Ephram. He believes that Ephram was forced to grow up very quickly by the death of his mother and that—if he learns of the pregnancy—his sense of decency will compel him to stay with Madison, something for which Andy believes he is not ready.

Amy asks Ephram to stay in Everwood, so that they can figure out if a romantic relationship would work between them. However, he is accepted to a summer program at the Juilliard School of Music. He is torn between going to New York and staying with Amy. When he leaves to study music at Juilliard, Amy accompanies him for ten days in Manhattan and, after she returns to Everwood, they continue their relationship long-distance.

Season 3

The third season opens with Andy receiving a letter from Madison tell him that she is in Denver, and is not going to tell him her decision regarding the pregnancy and she wants no further contract. Andy contemplates telling Ephram, but Harold convinces him not to do so, for the sake of Ephram and Amy.

Ephram returns from his summer classes at Juilliard with the disappointing news that he did not receive high marks and begins to intensify his piano studies, which places a strain on his relationship with Amy. The two, now in their senior year of high school, befriend an extremely shy girl, named Hannah (Sarah Drew), who is staying with Nina. Hannah is a junior and tells Amy that her parents are travelling in Hong Kong, but later reveals that her father, with whom she was extremely close, suffers from late-stage Huntington's Disease and she was in fact sent to Everwood so she wouldn't have to watch his suffering. With the support of Amy, Ephram, Harold, and Bright, Hannah decides to get tested and discovers that she didn't inherit the Huntington's gene from her father.

After much discussion with Hannah, Amy decides to sleep with Ephram and they sneak away to the Abbotts' lake cabin, but Amy gets cold feet and backs out. Ephram is understanding and in the morning she has a change of heart and loses her virginity to Ephram. Around Christmas, Bright tells Ephram where Madison's band is playing and he goes to see her and lies to Amy about it. Ephram misses seeing Madison, but feeling guilty confesses where he went to Amy. Amy is extremely upset telling Ephram that he is devoting all his time to the piano, while she has had to give up her hobbies and school activities to make time for their relationship and resents this. Ephram agrees to set aside more time for them and they make up.

Bright gets a job at the County Clerk's office with his mother Rose. His promiscuity catches up to him when one young intern accuses him of sexual harassment. Bright maintains that she misunderstood his actions, does not admit guilt and is cleared by an investigation. Rose, embarrassed and hurt, realizes that Bright has long treated women badly, and fires him anyway to teach him a lesson. Bright resolves to do better.

The third season also sees the arrival of a new, younger doctor named Jake Hartman, whom neither Harold nor Andy like very much, due to his over-zealous attitude. He takes up residence in Harold's former office. Nina, despite her feelings for Andy, believes that she has a future with Jake and begins dating him.

Andy treats a patient, John Hayes, who has serious incapacitation caused by a stroke. Andy finds himself drawn to John's wife Amanda, which they at first resist but eventually succumb to temptation. Andy's guilt leads to an ulcer. Andy gets John admitted into a cutting-edge treatment program out of town and they resume the affair. John's recovery is miraculous and Amanda returns to her husband.

Ephram is granted an interview with The Juilliard School in New York City, where he runs into Madison. Andy, who accompanied Ephram, tries to patch things up with Madison and encourages her to tell Ephram about the pregnancy. She invites Ephram for coffee and tells him about the pregnancy and that the baby has been adopted by a couple in Marin, California. She conceals Andy's role in her keeping it secret and leaving, but when Andy learns what Madison has said, he confesses to Ephram. Ephram is livid and bails on his audition to punish Andy for prioritizing his piano playing over his relationship with Madison. Back in Everwood, Ephram tells Amy, who reluctantly agrees to help Ephram locate the baby and the adoptive parents, but the two soon argue about it and break up.

Rose is diagnosed with a cancerous tumor on her spine and must undergo chemotherapy, which proves to be initially unsuccessful. With some reluctance, Andy agrees to do the surgery to remove the tumor. Harold is incensed until the operation appears to be a success, and Rose slowly recovers.

Ephram, still mad at his father, skips graduation and sells his piano to buy a ticket to London and go backpacking around Europe. Amy graduates from high school and gets into Princeton University.

Jake agrees to give up his LA lifestyle, and settle down with Nina. They start a restaurant together, in the diner where Nina used to waitress.

Hannah gets a boyfriend for the first time, but breaks up with him because she is still attracted to Bright, who decides to commit to a romantic relationship with her. Amy decides to defer her first semester at Princeton, so that she can help take care of her mother while she convalesces. With Ephram in Europe and Nina living with Jake, Andy considers accepting a job offer in Chicago and moving on, but Harold and others persuade him to stay in Everwood. He tells Nina that he still loves her.

Season 4

The fourth season opens with Edna and her husband Irv planning a vow-renewal ceremony. Rose is recovering well, and Jake has moved in with Nina. Bright starts his second year at Everwood Community College and has moved into an apartment. A medical student, Reid, has caught Amy's eye, and Amy convinces Bright to let Reid be his roommate. At the request of Delia, who desperately misses him, Ephram returns from Europe in time to attend the end of Irv and Edna's ceremony.

When Ephram returns Andy tells him that he is welcome at home, but he will not pay Ephram's living expenses anywhere else. Their relationship continues to be strained. Andy doesn't want to damage Ephram and Delia's relationship, so he tells Ephram that he will pay him $50 for every dinner they eat together as a family. The plan seems to work, and sometimes Ephram doesn't collect the money at all. Ephram starts his first semester at Everwood Community College with Bright, who asks him to be a third roommate. Reid and Amy date casually. Ephram begins giving piano lessons to a high-school freshman, Kyle Hunter. Although talented, Kyle is sullen and difficult. By helping out Kyle, Ephram gains a new appreciation for what he put his own father through. Also, Andy has a patient who is estranged from his daughter because he kept a secret from her for her whole life. Andy asks Ephram to talk to the daughter about forgiveness, and in the process, Ephram begins to let go of some of the resentment he felt towards Andy and their relationship continues to improve.

On a father/son camping trip with the Abbotts, Ephram reveals that he came back to Everwood because he is still in love with Amy, and Bright reveals that he might break up with Hannah because she doesn't believe in premarital sex. Back in town Ephram asks Reid not to date Amy at all and he backs off. Amy and Ephram repair their friendship. Studying together late one night, they wind up sleeping together. Afterward Ephram, wanting to repair their romantic relationship as well, gives Amy a Christmas present and reveals that he wrote her postcards while in Europe but never sent them to her. She asks to take them home and read them but later explains that she does not want to become romantically involved with Ephram again because she is trying to figure out her own identity.

Harold and Rose struggle to get past her illness. Despite her recovery she loses her re-bid for mayor of Everwood and feels lost and useless. After a vacation on an African safari, Rose tells Harold that she wants to adopt a child.

Nina and Jake's restaurant is doing well. Jake begins acting erratic and distant. When one of his visiting Los Angeles buddies has a serious biking accident, Jake is lost and stressed out. It is revealed that he is a recovering narcotics addict and he has "fallen off the wagon". When he finally tells Nina the truth, she kicks him out of the house and cries in Andy's arms.

Meanwhile, Irv has written a fictional book loosely based on his experiences in Everwood. The book, entitled ''A Mountain Town'', goes on to be a thundering success.

Although they seem quite mismatched, Bright and Hannah continue to date. Her father finally passes away and Hannah's mother lets her choose to move home or stay in Everwood. Hannah decides to stay. Bright is elated, but he is also frustrated at Hannah's low self-esteem and forces her to see that she is beautiful by locking her in the bathroom and refusing to let her out until she looks at herself in the mirror. Hannah takes it one step further and invites Bright into the shower with her.

Ephram learns that his old piano teacher, Will Cleveland, has died and attends his wake. Instead of a sad and somber event, it is a celebration of his life, and Ephram is introduced to Will's family as his star pupil. They coax him to play a piece, and it rekindles his love of the instrument. He re-buys a piano, and he helps Kyle prepare for a Juilliard audition. Kyle is still moody, and Ephram often returns to the Brown home to talk to Andy about his struggles and practice his own playing. When he convinces Kyle to meet his absentee father and Kyle is stood up, Ephram confesses to Andy that he thinks about his own child all the time and was using his experience with Kyle to work through his feelings of guilt and irresponsibility. Ephram also tries to help develop Kyle's social skills, since he is always alone and awkward around his classmates. When Reid suggests Kyle might be gay, Ephram says he's too young, attempting to shield him from adversity. Kyle initially denies it as well but eventually decides to come out. With their difficulties behind them, Ephram coaches Kyle successfully into Juilliard. After meeting a concert pianist, Ephram decides to transfer to Amy's college and major in music education. In addition Ephram leaves Madison a voicemail, apologizing for his explosive reaction to their situation.

Bright breaks his hand trying to karate chop a piece of wood and wears a sling for several weeks. Hannah babies him incessantly, and they have a minor spat. Hannah obsesses over their relationship, and Bright runs into an old acquaintance, Ada (Kelly Carlson), an attractive blonde who once sold Bright and Ephram fake IDs. After a few beers together, he has a moment of weakness in judgment and lust and winds up sleeping with Ada. Ephram finds out, but Bright, although regretful, decides he isn't going to tell Hannah. Ephram disagrees, and they stop speaking. Amy wheedles the truth out of Ephram and declares that, if Bright doesn't tell Hannah, she will. Under pressure Bright admits the truth, and Hannah breaks up with him. She tells him she doesn't want him in her life at all, even as just a friend.

Reid begins to fail out of medical school and, as a last-ditch effort, cheats on a test. He is caught and expelled but pretends that everything is fine. Ephram finds Reid one morning on the bathroom floor unconscious after having taken an entire bottle of sleeping pills. Ephram feels immense guilt for not realizing that Reid was depressed. Upon recovery Reid again tries to pretend that everything is just fine and asks Amy out on a date. It is predictably a disaster, and Amy tells Reid that she learned from Colin's death that he has to deal with the things that made him try to commit suicide in the first place. Reid decides to move back home with his mother until he is fully recovered.

Harold and Rose's adoption is in the final stages when it is revealed that Harold lied about Rose's cancer on the admission forms. They lose their opportunity and are heartbroken. Rose develops a bruise on her back and convinces herself that her cancer is active. At the same time, Bright drinks excessively at his 21st birthday party—still hurt by his breakup with Hannah—and stands on a chair at a bar. With his arm in a sling, he loses his balance and falls through a plate glass window. He is rushed to the hospital with a head injury. At the hospital, Rose shares her fears, and Harold tells her that she is fine—the doctor called right before Bright's accident. Subsequently, both Bright and Rose make successful recoveries. A schizophrenic patient of Harold's is overwhelmed with her new baby and the sudden death of her husband. She panics and leaves the baby girl on the Abbotts' doorstep. After a half-hearted search for her, Harold and Rose apply for custody of the baby.

After returning from his book tour, Irv and Edna decide to buy an RV and travel the country. Just after purchasing it, Irv collapses from a second heart attack and dies. Edna maintains her usual, tough persona until Harold confronts her on her erratic behavior. She confesses that she is overwhelmed with grief. Harold and Rose fix up a guest bedroom in their house and invite Edna to live with them, thus ending a years-long battle between mother and son.

Nina agrees to forgive Jake and to take him back, and he begins a variety of recovery programs but is unsurprised when none of them work since they didn't in the past. He decides to start a recovery group in Everwood and then begins to design a program on his own. His old friends in Los Angeles are receptive to the idea, but they want him to move back. Jake asks Nina to come with him, and she sells her house and agrees. Andy—faced with the loss of Nina—impulsively buys her an engagement ring and shows it to Ephram, saying he simply needed to act on his feelings, even if he had no intention of asking her. At Irv's funeral Ephram tells Nina about the ring, who tells Hannah, who convinces Nina to sneak in and look at it. Hannah ends up with the ring in her room, and Jake finds it while packing. He confronts Andy and Nina, and the latter insists that it means nothing. They make it to the airport when Jake realizes that he doesn't want to be with someone who is so unsure and boards the plane alone. Nina shows up back at the Browns—a sleeping Sam in tow—as her house has already been sold. Andy takes a cathartic trip to New York to say goodbye to his late wife Julia one last time before flying back to Everwood to propose to Nina on the very spot they met. She happily agrees.

After his accident Hannah and Bright decide to be friends again but do not rekindle their relationship. She passes up a full scholarship to Notre Dame to attend Colorado A&M and to stay in Everwood. The fate of Hannah and Bright's romantic relationship was left open.

Ephram meets Stephanie while hanging ads for a new roommate. She is feisty and fun without drama; Ephram likes how refreshingly easy she is to be around. Delia invites her to her bat mitzvah, and while there a slightly tipsy Amy realizes she is still in love with Ephram. She struggles with this realization until she thinks of the exact best way to tell Ephram how she feels. Recreating a moment they shared during a festival soon after he first moved there, she enlists Rose's help in ordering a Ferris wheel, stationing it outside his apartment. With this as her backdrop, she confesses that all their problems are her fault and asks him to give her another chance at a relationship, without the drama. Ephram, having loved Amy since the day he met her, easily agrees to be with her again, and the season and series end with Ephram and Amy embarking on a mature, adult relationship.

Series finale

''Everwood's'' series finale, which aired on Monday, June 5, 2006, was seen by 4.07 million viewers.

The final episode, "Foreverwood", was written as both a season and a series finale. Because of the impending WB/UPN merger into the CW Television Network, the future of the series was uncertain, and the producers wrote two endings. Originally, the producers had scripted a montage for the "series-finale cut" that went forty years into the future to show a majority of the gang at Andy's funeral—showing the series coming full circle; this was never filmed due to budgetary reasons as well as the producers' hopes that they would receive a fifth season.

''Everwood'' was canceled in favor of a new show, ''Runaway'', which Dawn Ostroff then canceled after only three episodes had been shown, and for a new season of ''7th Heaven'', which had just had its series finale. The finale of ''7th Heaven'' had 7 million viewers. ''Everwood'' had an average of 4 million viewers (which, if it was sustained, would have put it in the top 5 CW ratings for the following year).

In 1975, Daniel Eakins, a young college student, is visited by his Uncle Jim. Uncle Jim offers to increase Daniel's monthly allowance for living expenses as long as Daniel promises to keep a diary. Shortly after, Uncle Jim dies, and Daniel inherits a "Time-belt" from him that allows the wearer to travel through time. Daniel quickly learns how to use the Time-belt and makes a few short jumps into his own future. He meets an alternate version of himself, who goes by "Don", who accompanies him to a race-track where the pair make a fortune betting on horse-racing.

The following day, Daniel realises that it is his turn to act as Don and guide his younger self through the previous day at the races; through this and other events the time-travelling Daniel learns more about the belt, about the nature of the "timestream," and about his personal identity.

Daniel repeatedly encounters alternate versions of himself, sometimes known as Don, and enjoys his own company, ultimately having sex with himself and beginning a relationship with himself. He learns that the changes he has made to his timeline have erased all traces of his childhood and early life.

Though Daniel has been able to become closer to himself than he has in any other relationship, at some point he comes to find that he no longer meets other versions of himself. Lonely and hoping to correct the situation, he jumps many millennia backwards in time, where his jumps have not altered the timeline, and there he meets a female version of himself called "Diane". Diane's future is a mirror of Daniel's - she was given the Time-belt by her Aunt Jane, and she had also begun a relationship with her other selves, called Donna. Daniel begins a relationship with Diane and Diane becomes pregnant.

Daniel and Diane each secretly desire a son and a daughter, respectively, and unbeknownst to each other each uses technology from the future to make their own changes to ensure that Diane gives birth to a child with the desired gender. Shortly after the birth of their child, Daniel and Diane separate.

Daniel raises his son in 1950s America. As Daniel ages, he misses the relationship he had with Diane, but the interference of an obsessive, deranged version of himself has erased the point in the past where the two can meet. Daniel spends much of his time at a house party set in 1999, enjoying the company of dozens of versions of himself at different ages. At one point late in the party an elderly version of Daniel dies after a jump, and Daniel is consumed with the thought of his own inevitable death.

Daniel eventually realizes that he has now become his Uncle Jim, and that his son will grow up to be the young version of himself who will inherit the Time-belt, and that his life has "come full circle." He makes preparations for after his death to ensure that the young Daniel experiences the same events that Daniel did and have his own experience with time travel.

The book ends with a young Daniel, who has read the now-complete diary, having to decide whether he will use the Time-belt.

Sing is a master of Shaolin kung fu, whose goal in life is to promote the spiritual and practical benefits of the martial art to modern society. He experiments with various methods, but none bear positive results. He then meets "Golden Leg" Fung; a legendary Hong Kong soccer star in his day, who is now walking with a limp, following the betrayal of a former teammate, Hung, now a rich businessman. Sing explains his desires to Fung, who in turn offers his services to coach Sing in soccer. Sing is compelled by the idea of promoting kung fu through soccer, and agrees to enlist his former Shaolin brothers to form a team under Fung's management. Sing and Fung attempt to put together an unbeatable soccer team. After some failed attempts, Sing's brothers all agree to participate in the team. Fung invites a vicious team to play against them for a scrimmage, and the thugs proceed to give the Shaolin Team a literal beating. When all seems lost, the Shaolin disciples reawaken and utilize their special powers, dismantling the other team's rough play easily. The thugs then give up and ask to join Sing's team.

Sing meets Mui, a baker with severe acne who uses Tai chi to bake mantou. He takes her to look at very expensive dresses at a high-end department store after hours. She soon forms an attachment to Sing and even gets a makeover in an attempt to impress him. However, this backfires and when Mui reveals her feelings to him: he tells her he only wants to be her friend. This revelation, coupled with the constant bullying from her overbearing boss, leads Mui to disappear.

''Team Shaolin'' enters the open cup competition in Hong Kong, where they chalk up consecutive and often ridiculously one-sided victories due to their special Shaolin techniques. They end up meeting Team Evil in the final, owned by none other than Hung. Team Evil had been injected with an American drug, granting them superhuman strength and speed, making them practically invincible, and they bring Team Shaolin back to reality when Team Evil's amazing capabilities prove more than a match for them. After Team Evil takes out Team Shaolin's two goalkeepers, Mui, who has shaved her hair and improved her face, reappears to be a goalkeeper for Team Shaolin.

In their final attack, Team Evil's striker leaps into the sky and kicks the ball with enormous force towards Mui, who prevents him from scoring with her tai chi. Mui and Sing combine their martial skills and rocket the ball downfield. The ball plows through Team Evil's goal post, thereby scoring the winning goal. Sing is then thrown into the air in celebration as the trophy is presented to him and his team.

A newspaper article then shows Hung being stripped of his title of soccer chairman and sentenced to jail for five years, while the players of Team Evil are permanently banned from playing soccer professionally. Sing goes out for a morning jog and feels joy at seeing the people around him practicing Kung Fu and implementing it into their daily lives, his lifelong dream having become a reality. The camera pans to a large poster of Sing and Mui, who have since married and became famous for winning a world championship in bowling, among other things.

The novel tells the story of a British officer, Harry Feversham, who resigns from his commission in the Royal North Surrey Regiment just before Lord Wolseley's 1882 expedition to Egypt to suppress the rising of Colonel Ahmed Orabi. He is censured for cowardice by three of his comrades Captain Trench and Lieutenants Castleton and Willoughby signified by their delivery of three white feathers to him. His fiancée, Ethne Eustace, breaks off their engagement and also gives him a white feather. His best friend in the regiment, Captain Durrance, becomes a rival for Ethne.

Harry talks with Lieutenant Sutch, a friend of his late father who is an imposing retired general. He questions his own motives, but says he will redeem himself by acts that will convince his critics to take back the feathers. He travels on his own to Egypt and Sudan, where in 1882 Muhammad Ahmed proclaimed himself the Mahdi (Guided One) and raised a Holy War. On 26 January 1885, his Dervish forces captured Khartoum and killed its British governor, General Charles George Gordon. Most of the action over the next six years takes place in the eastern Sudan, where the British and Egyptians held Suakin. Durrance is blinded by sunstroke and invalided. Castleton is killed at Tamai, where a British square is briefly broken by a Mahdi attack.

Harry's first success comes when he recovers lost letters of Gordon. He is aided by a Sudanese Arab, Abou Fatma. Later, disguised as a mad Greek musician, Harry gets imprisoned in Omdurman, where he rescues Captain Trench, who had been captured on a reconnaissance mission. They escape.

Learning of his actions, Willoughby and Trench give Ethne the feathers they had taken back from Harry. He returns to England, and sees Ethne for what he thinks is one last time, as she has decided to devote herself to the blind Durrance. But Durrance knows that Ethne loves Harry rather than himself, and frees her for Harry. Ethne and Harry wed, and Durrance travels to "the East" as a civilian.

After a diving team at Wilkes Ice Station is killed, the station sends out a distress signal. A team of United States Force Recon Marines led by Shane Schofield, code named Scarecrow, arrives at the station. At the station he finds several French scientists have arrived, and several more come after the Marines' arrival. The French reveal themselves as soldiers and a fight ensues in the station, claiming the lives of Scarecrow's men Hollywood, Legs and Ratman, along with several scientists and most of the French soldiers, while Mother loses her leg, Samurai is badly injured, and two French scientists are captured.

Schofield decides to send a team down to find an object below the ice where the diving team was going. Later, Samurai is found strangled, leaving the only people he trusts to be one of the scientists, Sarah Hensleigh and another soldier named Montana as he was with them at the time of Samurai's death. Hensleigh, Montana and two other Marines, Gant and Santa Cruz, are sent down to where the diving team vanished. While alone, Schofield is shot and killed. He later wakes up, found to have been accidentally resurrected by his attacker, and is in the care of scientist James Renshaw, the believed killer of one of the other scientists at Wilkes. Watching a video of Schofield's death, they see the attacker and discover it to be one of Schofield's men, Snake. The two capture Snake before he is able to kill the wounded Mother.

Meanwhile in the United States, Andrew Trent and Pete Cameron meet, Cameron being a news reporter and Trent being a former Marine using the alias of Andrew Wilcox to avoid being found by the U.S military who a few years back had tried to kill him. They hear the distress call from Schofield and Trent realizes that what happened to him was happening to Schofield.

The team learns of an impending attack by the British SAS and decide to flee the station. During the escape via stolen vehicles, Schofield and Renshaw's is pushed off a cliff, Schofield's close friend Book and the step-daughter of Sarah Hensleigh, Kirsty, are captured, while Rebound escapes with four of the scientists. Schofield manages to destroy a French submarine and he and Renshaw begin their journey back towards it. Meanwhile, the SAS Brigadier Trevor Barnaby kills the two remaining French scientists and feeds Book to a pod of killer whales. Schofield returns to the station and manages to kill all of the SAS and Snake, and save Kirsty. Schofield receives a message from Trent with a list of members of a secret service known as the Intelligence Convergence Group (ICG) which includes Snake and Montana.

Gant and her team find what appears to be an alien ship, but which turns out to be a spy plane. Montana kills Santa Cruz, but is killed by mutated elephant seals. Schofield and the two others arrive and Hensleigh reveals herself to be an ICG agent, but is soon killed by a wounded Gant. Remembering the station is about to be destroyed, Schofield, Gant, Renshaw, Kirsty and her pet fur seal named Wendy escape on the spy plane and land on the USS Wasp. They later destroy the spy plane using a guided missile fired earlier. It is revealed that Mother had escaped Wilkes before its destruction and was saved by US forces.

The survivors get to Hawaii where they are nearly killed by an ICG agent before being saved by Andrew Trent, Pete and Allison Cameron, and the captain of the USS ''Wasp''. Renshaw assumes custody of Kirsty since he is her godfather, and Schofield doesn't leave Gant's side until she recovers.

The narrative opens in the decade before World War I. It introduces the protagonist, Hans Castorp, the only child of a Hamburg merchant family. Following the early death of his parents, Castorp has been brought up by his grandfather and later, by a maternal uncle named James Tienappel. Castorp is in his early 20s, about to take up a shipbuilding career in Hamburg, his home town. Before beginning work, he undertakes a journey to visit his tubercular cousin, Joachim Ziemssen, who is seeking a cure in a sanatorium in Davos, high up in the Swiss Alps. In the opening chapter, Castorp leaves his familiar life and obligations, in what he later learns to call "the flatlands," to visit the rarefied mountain air and introspective small world of the sanatorium.

Castorp's departure from the sanatorium is repeatedly delayed by his failing health. What at first appears to be a minor bronchial infection with slight fever is diagnosed by the sanatorium's chief doctor and director, Hofrat''Hofrat'' (literally, court advisor) is an honorific title given by monarchs or, as in this case, their family members to people of merits. It is not his title ''as'' director of the sanatorium, which is Director. However, the novel mirrors the then German custom to call Hofräte by their honorific rather than their functional title. The most recent English translator of ''The Magic Mountain'', Woods, uses Director as a translation. Behrens, as symptoms of tuberculosis. Castorp is persuaded by Behrens to stay until his health improves.

During his extended stay, Castorp meets a variety of characters, who represent a microcosm of pre-war Europe. These include Lodovico Settembrini (an Italian humanist and encyclopedist, a student of Giosuè Carducci); Leo Naphta, a Jewish Jesuit who favors totalitarianism; Mynheer Peeperkorn, a dionysian Dutchman; and his romantic interest, Madame Clawdia Chauchat.

Castorp eventually resides at the sanatorium for seven years. As the novel concludes, the war begins, and Castorp volunteers for the military. His possible demise upon the battlefield is portended.

The protagonist, K., arrives in a village governed by a mysterious bureaucracy operating in a nearby castle. When seeking shelter at the town inn, he claims to be a land surveyor summoned by the castle authorities. He is quickly notified that his castle contact is an official named Klamm, who, in an introductory note, informs K. he will report to the Mayor.

The Mayor informs K. that through a mix-up in communication between the castle and the village he was erroneously requested. But the Mayor offers him a position as a caretaker in service of the school teacher. Meanwhile, K., unfamiliar with the customs, bureaucracy and processes of the village, continues to attempt to reach Klamm, which is considered a strong taboo to the villagers.

The villagers hold the officials and the castle in high regard, even though they do not appear to know what the officials do. The actions of the officials are never explained. The villagers provide assumptions and justification for the officials' actions through lengthy monologues. Everyone appears to have an explanation for the officials' actions, but they often contradict themselves and there is no attempt to hide the ambiguity. Instead, villagers praise it as another action or feature of an official.

One of the more obvious contradictions between the "official word" and the village conception is the dissertation by the secretary Erlanger on Frieda's required return to service as a barmaid. K. is the only villager who knows that the request is being forced by the castle (even though Frieda may be the genesis), with no consideration of the inhabitants of the village.

The castle is the ultimate bureaucracy with copious paperwork that the bureaucracy maintains is "flawless". But the flawlessness is a lie; it is a flaw in the paperwork that has brought K. to the village. There are other failures of the system: K. witnesses a servant destroying paperwork when he cannot determine whom the recipient should be.

The castle's occupants appear to be all adult men, and there is little reference to the castle other than to its bureaucratic functions. The two notable exceptions are a fire brigade and that Otto Brunswick's wife declares herself to be from the castle. The latter declaration builds the importance of Hans, Otto's son, in K.'s eyes as a way to gain access to the castle officials.

The officials have one or more secretaries that do their work in their village. Although they sometimes come to the village, they do not interact with the villagers unless they need female companionship, implied to be sexual in nature.

The narrator of the story, Shannon McFarland, is a disfigured former model who goes by multiple pseudonyms, notably Daisy St. Patience and Bubba Joan—identities given to her by Brandy Alexander. The novel opens ''in medias res'' on the wedding day of Evie Cottrell, whose house is burning to the ground. Brandy, who has been shot by Evie, asks the narrator to tell her life story. Her memories of her life and her relationship with Brandy are told in a non-linear sequence.

The narrator is the daughter of a farmer. Her older brother, Shane, was kicked out of the house for being gay after contracting gonorrhea. After their parents receive a phone call from a stranger that Shane is dead from AIDS, they become obsessive supporters of gay rights, so that even in death, Shane gets more parental attention than the narrator. This attention is a large source of resentment for the narrator towards her brother, and she sought a career in modeling in attempt to get attention for herself.

The narrator's best friend in modeling school is Evelyn "Evie" Cottrell, who begins a secret relationship with the narrator's boyfriend, Manus Kelley, a police officer. While driving down the highway, the narrator is mysteriously shot in the face and her jaw is torn off. She immediately drives to the hospital and recovers, but her lower jaw is lost; she keeps her disfigured face veiled and her modeling career has been destroyed. In group speech therapy she meets Brandy Alexander, a trans woman. During sessions, Brandy instructs the narrator in how to give herself a new life and a new identity, and gives her a new name, Daisy St. Patience, the first among many new identities.

Evie begs the narrator to come live with her but leaves for Cancún as soon as she arrives, leaving the narrator alone. The first night, Manus breaks into the house with a knife. Because of the rapid non-linear motion of the novel's events, the narrator has often referred to Manus as "Seth", an identity given to him by Brandy, and it is not until this moment in the novel that it becomes clear that Manus and Seth are the same person. When Manus and Evie's affair is exposed, both claim that the other shot the narrator. The narrator sets fire to Evie's house and overpowers and then forces Manus to ingest pills before locking him in the trunk of his own car.

The narrator flees to the hotel room where Brandy lives. She meets Brandy's roommates, the Rhea sisters, a trio of drag queens who are paying for Brandy's sex change operations. The narrator learns that Brandy is actually Shane, who strives to look like her sister (the narrator) through surgery. Brandy is unaware of the narrator's true identity and wants to find her sister. Brandy, the narrator, and Manus leave to travel the country. They frequently pretend to be wealthy clients to view expensive homes that are for sale and steal whatever drugs they can find, alternately ingesting or selling them. Later, the narrator learns of Brandy's stories of sexual abuse by police officer Manus as a teenager, leading to Shane's contracting gonorrhea, being assumed to be gay, and being kicked out. "Brandy" divulges that she is not actually transgender—Shane, not wanting to be himself after what he endured, has chosen to become a woman because he sees it as a way to disfigure himself and lose any sense of identity to become beyond the control of others.

One day the trio is viewing a home and realize that the realtor is Evie's mother, who reveals that Evie herself transitioned at a young age and that her parents are marrying her off to save themselves trouble. The trio attend the wedding. The narrator sets fire to Evie's house, thus returning to the opening scene of the novel.

It is revealed that Brandy originally met Evie in a transgender support group, in which Evie told Brandy of the narrator's accident. Brandy reveals she has always known that the narrator was her sister, Shannon McFarland. In turn, Shannon reveals that she shot ''herself'' in the face to escape from being beautiful and beholden to her career and relationships, mirroring Shane's decision to transition.

Later, at Brandy's side while she recovers in a hospital, Shannon determines that she has never truly loved anyone except her brother. Leaving her pocket book with all of her identification, she tells a sleeping Brandy that since Shane is still confused about what he wants out of life, he can have the only thing she has left, her identity as Shannon McFarland. The novel ends with Shannon leaving the hospital and into the world to find a new start.

In the Remix version, it is revealed that Shannon, now going by Daisy St. Patience full-time, has established a cemetery after her parents have died, in which people can buy plots for relatives they disliked with spiteful sayings carved into the tombstones. She also creates a group for disfigured women called "Elephant Women". In the end, she marries an unidentified man.

In the future, all plant life on Earth is becoming extinct. As many specimens as possible have been preserved in a series of enormous greenhouse-like geodesic domes, attached to large spaceships, one of which is named ''Valley Forge'', forming part of a fleet of American Airlines space freighters, currently just outside the orbit of Saturn.

Freeman Lowell, one of four crewmen aboard, is the resident botanist and ecologist who carefully maintains a variety of plants for their eventual return to Earth and the reforestation of the planet. Lowell spends most of his time in the domes, both cultivating the crops and attending to the animal life.

The crew of each ship receives orders to jettison and destroy their domes and return the freighters to commercial service. After four of the six ''Valley Forge'' domes are jettisoned and blown up, Lowell rebels and opts instead to save the plants and animals on his ship. Lowell kills one of his crewmates, John, who arrives to plant explosives in his favorite dome, and his right leg is seriously injured in the process. He then jettisons and triggers the destruction of the other remaining dome, trapping and killing the remaining two crewmen.

Enlisting the aid of the ship's three service robots, Lowell stages a fake premature explosion as a ruse and sends the ''Valley Forge'' careening toward Saturn in an attempt to hijack the ship and flee with the last forest dome. He then reprograms the drones to perform surgery on his leg and sets the ''Valley Forge'' on a risky course through Saturn's rings. Later, as the ship endures the rough passage, Drone 3 is lost, but the ship and its remaining dome emerge relatively undamaged on the other side of the rings. Lowell gives the surviving drones the names Dewey (Drone 1) and Huey (Drone 2), while the lost Drone 3 is named Louie (a nod to Disney characters Huey, Dewey, and Louie).

Lowell, Huey, and Dewey set out into deep space to maintain the forest. Lowell reprograms Huey and Dewey to plant trees and play poker. He also has them bury John in the bio-dome. Lowell begins speaking to them constantly, as if they are children.

Huey is damaged when Lowell accidentally collides with him while driving a buggy recklessly, and Dewey sentimentally refuses to leave Huey's side during the repairs. As time passes, Lowell is horrified when he discovers that his bio-dome is dying, but is unable to come up with a solution to the problem. When the ''Berkshire'' — another space freighter waiting to see if the ''Valley Forge'' has survived the trip around Saturn — eventually reestablishes contact, he knows that his crimes will soon be discovered. It is then that he realizes a lack of light has restricted plant growth, and he races to install lamps to correct this situation. In an effort to save the last forest before the ''Berkshire'' arrives, Lowell jettisons the bio-dome to safety. He then detonates nuclear charges, destroying the ''Valley Forge'', the damaged Huey, and himself in the process. The final scene is of the now well-lit forest greenhouse drifting into deep space, with Dewey tenderly caring for it, holding Lowell's battered old watering can.

Ned Racine (William Hurt), an inept South Florida lawyer, meets and begins an affair with Matty Walker (Kathleen Turner). Matty's wealthy husband, Edmund, is always away on business during the week. Late one night, Ned arrives at the Walker mansion and, seeing Matty in the gazebo, playfully propositions her. The woman is actually Mary Ann Simpson, Matty's old high school friend who physically resembles her and who is briefly in town. Soon after, Matty tells Ned she wants a divorce, but a prenuptial agreement would leave her almost nothing. When she wishes Edmund was dead, Ned suggests murdering him so Matty can inherit his wealth. Ned consults a shady former client, Teddy Lewis (Mickey Rourke), an explosives expert, who provides Ned a small incendiary device though he advises Ned to abandon his plans.

After murdering Edmund, Ned and Matty move his body to an abandoned building that Edmund owns. Ned detonates the bomb to make it appear as if Edmund accidentally died during a botched arson attempt. Soon after, Edmund's lawyer contacts Ned about a new will that Ned supposedly drafted for Edmund and which was witnessed by Mary Ann Simpson. The new will was improperly prepared, making it null and void and results in Matty inheriting Edmund's entire fortune, while disinheriting his sister. Despite Ned's previous warning against making any estate changes, Matty forged the new will, exploiting Ned's past malpractice issues, knowing it would be nullified and leaving her the sole beneficiary. Ned knows the police will consider the new will suspicious. A prominent plot point centers on a complicated and often misunderstood legal rule known as the rule against perpetuities.

Two of Ned's friends, assistant deputy prosecutor Peter Lowenstein and police detective Oscar Grace, suspect Ned may be involved in Edmund's death. Evidence includes Edmund's missing eyeglasses, which he always wore. On the night of the murder, hotel phone records show that repeated calls to Ned's room went unanswered, thereby weakening his alibi. Also, police are unable to locate Mary Ann Simpson.

Increasingly nervous over the mounting evidence and questioning Matty's loyalty, Ned happens upon a lawyer acquaintance who says he recommended Ned to Matty Walker. He admits telling her about Ned's limited legal skills. Later, Teddy tells Ned about a woman wanting an incendiary device, and says he showed her how to booby trap a door. Teddy also says the police have been asking him questions about the apparent arson.

Matty calls Ned and says that Edmund's glasses are in her boathouse. Ned arrives late that night and spots a wire attached to the boathouse door. Matty arrives, and, following a confrontation, Ned asks her to retrieve the glasses. Meanwhile, Oscar Grace arrives and observes their interaction. To prove herself, Matty walks toward the boathouse and disappears from view; the boathouse then explodes. A body found inside is identified as Matty Walker (née Tyler).

Now in prison, Ned, having realized Matty duped him, tries to convince Oscar Grace that she is still alive. He believes that "Matty" assumed the real Matty Tyler's identity in order to marry and murder Edmund. Ned surmises the "Mary Ann Simpson" that Ned previously met had discovered the scheme and was blackmailing Matty, only to be murdered and her body used to identify her as Edmund's wife. Had Ned been killed in the boathouse explosion as Matty likely intended, he reasons the police would have found both suspects' bodies.

In the epilogue, Ned, in prison, obtains a copy of Matty's high school yearbook: in it are photos of Mary Ann Simpson and Matty Tyler, confirming his suspicion that Mary Ann assumed Matty Walker's identity. Below Mary Ann's photo is the nickname "The Vamp" and "Ambition—To be rich and live in an exotic land".

In the final scene, the real Mary Ann (Matty) is seen lounging on a tropical beach.

The Reverend James Appley asks Holmes to investigate the sudden and unexpected death of Squire Trelawney of his parish in Somerset. Rev. Appley is concerned because the suspect is his nephew, Dr. Paul Griffin, the attending physician. Trewlaney recently named Griffin his sole beneficiary, disinheriting the previous beneficiary, his niece, Miss Dolores Dale. Miss Dale's fiancé, Jeffrey Ainsworth, claims that he saw Trewlaney alive and well until late in the night.

The problem is that no one can determine the cause of death, not even the famous pathologist Sir Leopold Harper, who conducted an autopsy. A clue might lie in the gold hunter, a popular pocket watch, owned by the deceased gentleman. Holmes once more solves the puzzle to the chagrin of Inspector Lestrade.

"And see," he continued, hastening to the small table in question, "what a treasure–trove we have here! Look at this, Lestrade! Look at it!"

"But, Holmes, it is only a small pot of vaseline such as you may buy at any chemist's!"

"On the contrary, it is a hangman's rope."

Holmes is called upon to save the widow of a distinguished family from shame. Her noble husband, Henry Gladsdale, the late Duke of Carringford served his country well, but now the Duchess Carringford and her betrothed daughter, Lady Mary Gladsdale, are facing ruin. A blackmailer threatens to expose a prior marriage by Henry Gladsdale that would nullify his marriage to the current Duchess. The price for silence is Gladsdale's private papers, which undoubtedly contain information valuable to foreign powers.

Holmes must fend off the threats of a thug, discover the identity of the blackmailer, and commit a crime himself before he resolves the extortion plot.

An American (Ryan O'Neal), a Briton (Michael Crawford), a Czechoslovakian (Charles Aznavour) and an Indigenous Australian (Athol Compton) train for the Rome Olympics marathon.

After fleeing knife-throwing twin assassins Mischka and Grishka in East Berlin, mortally wounded British agent 009, dressed as a circus clown and carrying a counterfeit Fabergé egg, crashes into the British ambassador's residence and dies. MI6 immediately suspects Soviet involvement and, after the genuine Fabergé egg is to be auctioned in London, sends James Bond to identify the seller. At the auction, Bond swaps the fake egg for the real one and subsequently engages in a bidding war with an exiled Afghan prince named Kamal Khan, forcing Khan to pay £500,000 for the counterfeit. Bond follows Khan to his palace in India. Bond defeats Khan in a game of backgammon using Khan's loaded dice. Bond and his MI6 contact, Vijay, escape Khan's bodyguard Gobinda. Later, Khan's associate Magda seduces Bond. Bond permits Magda to steal the real Fabergé egg, which is fitted with Q's listening and tracking device. Gobinda knocks Bond unconscious and takes him to Khan's palace. After Bond escapes, he listens in on the bug and discovers that Khan works with Orlov, a Soviet general seeking to expand Soviet domination to Western Europe.

Bond infiltrates a floating palace in Udaipur and meets its owner, Octopussy, a wealthy businesswoman, smuggler and Khan's associate. She also leads the Octopus cult, of which Magda is a member. Octopussy has a personal connection with Bond: her father is the late Major Dexter-Smythe, whom Bond arrested for treason. Octopussy thanks Bond for allowing the Major to commit suicide rather than face trial, and invites Bond to be her guest. Earlier in Khan's palace and later in Octopussy's palace, Bond discovers that Orlov has been supplying Khan with priceless Soviet treasures, replacing them with replicas while Khan has been smuggling the genuine objects into the West via Octopussy's circus troupe. Orlov is planning to meet Khan at Karl-Marx-Stadt in East Germany, where the circus is scheduled to perform. Khan's assassins break into the palace to kill Bond, but Bond and Octopussy thwart them. Bond learns from Q that the assassins have killed Vijay.

Travelling to East Germany, Bond infiltrates the circus and discovers that Orlov has replaced the Soviet treasures with a nuclear warhead, primed to explode during the circus performance at a US Air Force base in West Germany. The explosion would force Europe into seeking unilateral disarmament in the belief that the bomb belonged to the US and was detonated at the airbase accidentally, leaving the unprotected borders open to a Soviet invasion. Bond takes Orlov's car, drives it along the railroad tracks and boards the moving circus train. Orlov gives chase, but is killed by border guards after he tries to rush a checkpoint. Bond kills Mischka and Grischka, and after falling from the train, commandeers a car to get to the airbase. Bond penetrates the base and disguises himself as a clown to evade the West German police. He convinces Octopussy that Khan has betrayed her, and realizing that she has been tricked, she assists Bond in deactivating the warhead.

Some time later, with the plan foiled, Khan has returned to his palace and prepares to flee. Bond and Octopussy also return separately to India. Bond arrives at Khan's palace just as Octopussy and her troops launch an assault on the grounds. Octopussy attempts to kill Khan, but is captured by Gobinda. While Octopussy's team, led by Magda, overpower Khan's guards, Khan and Gobinda abandon the palace, taking Octopussy as a hostage. As they attempt to escape in their airplane, Bond clings to the fuselage and disables an engine and the elevator panel. Struggling with Bond, Gobinda plummets off the plane's roof to his death, and Bond and Octopussy jump off the plane onto a nearby cliff only seconds before Khan fatally crashes into a mountain. While the Minister of Defence and General Gogol discuss the transport of the jewelry, Bond recuperates with Octopussy aboard her private yacht in India.

Henry, a hermit walking in the woods, encounters his dog, dead from a blood infection, and becomes infected himself from contact with his dog’s blood. Meanwhile, college students Jeff, Marcy, Paul, Karen, and Bert take a vacation to a remote cabin to celebrate spring break. Bert leaves to shoot squirrels but shoots the now disfigured and bloody Henry. Despite Henry's pleas for aid, Bert flees and remains silent about the incident.

The students gather around a campfire that night, where they are joined by a friendly drifter named Grimm and his pet dog, Dr. Mambo. When it rains, Grimm leaves with his dog to pack up his belongings. While the friends wait for Grimm, Henry returns, begging for help. When Bert shuts the door on the sick hermit, he tries stealing the group's car while vomiting blood. When Henry approaches Marcy and Karen, Paul accidentally sets him on fire. While seeking help the next day, Jeff and Bert encounter a butcher but leave after learning that she is Henry's cousin. Paul receives assistance from police Deputy Winston, who promises to send up a tow truck. Paul tries comforting Karen, who is upset over the killing of Henry. After calming her down, Paul attempts to have sex with her; as he reaches between her legs, he discovers an infection has spread in her groin. The group isolates her in a shed.

After fixing the truck, Bert coughs up blood but does not tell the others to prevent a panic. Bert drives off after Paul and Jeff discover that he has caught the disease. Jeff takes the remaining beer and leaves, terrified of becoming infected. Bert seeks help at a convenience store but angers the owner after his son, Dennis, bites him. Bert flees, chased by Dennis's father and two friends. At the cabin, Marcy worries that they will all contract the disease. When Paul comforts her, they impulsively have sex. Regretting the affair, Paul leaves while Marcy takes a bath, crying; as she shaves her legs, the flesh begins to peel off and she runs outside in a panic, where she is eaten alive by Dr. Mambo.

Paul discovers Henry’s body floating in the reservoir, and realizes that the infection is spreading through the water supply. Returning to the cabin, Paul finds Marcy's remains and Dr. Mambo feeding on Karen. After killing Dr. Mambo with Bert's gun, he bludgeons Karen with a shovel out of mercy. A dying Bert returns to the cabin pursued by Dennis's father and his two companions. The posse kills Bert, and Paul kills all three of them. Paul looks for Jeff; he instead finds Grimm's corpse in a cave. Paul takes the convenience store's truck, and, while driving, discovers that he is infected before hitting a tree. He reunites with Deputy Winston, who is partying with underage drinkers. Paul requests a ride to the hospital, but before the group departs, Winston is ordered to kill on sight several infected people on a killing spree.

Jeff, who has been hiding out and drinking in the woods, returns to the cabin the next day. Initially crying after seeing the remains of his friends, he becomes ecstatic upon realizing that he is the only survivor. As he raises his arms in victory, he is killed by local police, and his body burned with the remains of Bert and Karen. Two children get water from the lake for their cooler, not realizing that Paul's corpse is in the lake and the water is now contaminated.

The narrator, known only by his surname, Robinson, is a schoolteacher who lives in Las Vegas. He has become a widower after Dolan, a wealthy crime-boss, had his wife murdered with a car bomb in order to prevent her from testifying against him. The murder remains unsolved, and Robinson, unskilled in the arts of revenge, has no recourse. Over a seven-year period, however, Robinson—mentally haunted by his wife's voice—devises a scheme of retaliation.

Discovering that Dolan regularly takes the same route along State Route 71 when traveling to Los Angeles while in his Cadillac, Robinson decides to trick Dolan into missing a detour, which leads the Cadillac to crash into a ditch in which he'll be buried alive; while the Cadillac is armored against most conventional forms of attack, he realized he can use that against Dolan. He takes on a summer job with a road paving crew so that he can learn to operate the heavy equipment needed to excavate an oblong ditch just long and deep enough to contain the car, but not so wide as to allow escape through its doors.

Circumstances align to ensure that a road work that Robinson can use will be occurring on an occasion that Dolan will be travelling along the highway over a Fourth of July holiday weekend, ensuring that Robinson can prepare the trap without fear of interruption, though the physical effort and mental strain of doing so single-handedly proves agonising to Robinson. Nevertheless, the trap works, and Dolan is stuck in his Cadillac as it crashes into the pit. One of Dolan's bodyguards is killed in the crash, while the other, crushed by the engine block, screams out in pain and panic, prompting Dolan to kill him. Robinson greets him and announces his intent on burying Dolan alive. Dolan addresses Robinson by name, prompting him to lean over the roof of the car as Dolan fires a few bullets skyward. He misses Robinson, who proceeds with the burial.

Dolan, increasingly desperate, pleads with Robinson for his freedom, offering him a large sum of cash. Robinson merely tells him he will be released if he screams as loud as the explosives that killed his wife, gleefully listening to Dolan's panicked cries and deranged laughter as he completes the burial and paves over his car. With what must be the last gasp of air left to him, Dolan screams out, ''"For the love of God, Robinson!"'' (An allusion to The Cask of Amontillado) as the latter drops the last piece of paving into place.

The strain of his efforts takes a physical and mental toll on Robinson, causing him to collapse with exhaustion and a severely injured back. He soon recovers, however, and a fortuitous sandstorm works to ensure that Dolan will remain hidden; his disappearance goes largely unmourned, and the press jokes that he is "playing dominos or shooting pool somewhere with Jimmy Hoffa."

Robinson muses that one day, the sinkhole created by the buried Cadillac will cause the road above it to collapse, risking its discovery; however, the specifications Dolan ordered to protect himself will ironically ensure that this will not occur for a long while, and it may even just be covered over again. He notes that he occasionally drove along the same highway, and on the final occasion urinated on the spot where he believed Dolan was buried, but has since taken to driving an alternate route. He concludes by revealing that his wife's voice no longer haunts him, which he finds a relief, but that he has occasionally glimpsed visions of Dolan's emaciated corpse.

Scott Hastings, the frustrated son of a family of ballroom dancers, has been training since the age of six. His mother Shirley teaches ballroom dancing, and his father Doug meekly handles maintenance chores at the dance studio, while secretly watching old footage of his bygone dance competitions as well as Scott's in a back room. Scott struggles to establish his personal style of dance to win the Pan-Pacific Grand Prix Dancing Championship, but his innovative and flashy "crowd-pleasing" steps are not considered "strictly ballroom", and as such are denounced by Australian Dancing Federation head Barry Fife.

Scott and his dancing partner Liz Holt both lose the Southern Districts Waratah Championships due to Scott dancing his own steps, and three days later, Liz leaves him to team up with Ken Railings, the recent Waratah Championships winner, whose partner Pam Short has broken both her legs in a car accident (as just previously wished upon by Liz). With Scott now alone only three weeks until the championships, Shirley teams up with his coach Les Kendall, her co-instructor at the studio, to start desperately hunting for a new partner for him. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to both, Scott is approached by Fran, an overlooked "beginner" dancer at the studio, and eventually agrees to partner with her, intrigued by her willingness to dance "his way".

The pairing faces its first hurdle when Fife, attempting to prevent Scott from threatening the Dancesport status quo, arranges for his partnership with established Champion dancer Tina Sparkle. When Shirley and Les hear the news, they are overjoyed; Fran, happening upon them exclaiming over their happiness about Scott's new dance partner, misunderstands initially and believes they have discovered that she and Scott have become partners. When she realises the truth, she leaves, devastated. Scott pursues her and, although she is hurt, entices her to dance backstage with him, and her anger is forgotten. However, several onlookers witness their dance, including Shirley and Les, who then do everything possible to persuade both Scott and Fran that the best way forward for all concerned is for Scott to forget about Fran and sign on as Tina Sparkle's partner.

Fran, accused of damaging Scott's chances, reluctantly accedes and returns home crestfallen. Scott argues with his mother, telling her and all he won't be manipulated; essentially, he won't become Tina's partner. He follows Fran home, where her overprotective Spanish father, Rico, discovers and challenges him. To appease Rico, Scott proposes a Paso Doble for the assembled company. Rico and Fran's grandmother Ya Ya demonstrate the proper Paso Doble technique, and offer to teach the couple, who spend the next week training with Fran's family. However, Fife intervenes, telling Scott that Doug ruined his own career by dancing his own steps, which he's regretted ever since. Unwilling to upset his parents further, Scott reteams with Liz to attempt to win the Pan-Pacific.

During the competition, Doug explains to Scott that Fife lied; Fife had convinced Shirley to dance with Les instead of Doug so that he, Fife, could win the competition. It is also revealed that Fife is plotting to sabotage Scott in favor of audience favorite Ken. Scott runs after Fran and persuades her to dance with him.

In the next round, Scott and Fran make their own dramatic entrance and begin dancing, immediately riveting the audience. Fife tries to disqualify them, but Scott's friend Wayne Burns, having overheard Fife's treachery along with his partner Vanessa Cronin, disconnects the PA system, allowing Scott and Fran to dance a Paso Doble routine that impresses the audience. Desperate, Fife tries to turn off the music, but Scott's younger sister Kylie and her partner Luke interfere until Fife's girlfriend Charm Leachman disconnects the sound system. Fife then disqualifies Scott and Fran, but Doug begins clapping out a beat to enable the pair to continue dancing. The audience claps along, as Scott and Fran resume dancing. Liz, having had a change of heart, turns on Fife and Leachman and restores the music, and Scott and Fran's spirited dancing brings down the house. Doug asks Shirley to dance with him and the whole audience joins them on the floor. As the performance finishes, Scott and Fran kiss, the competition forgotten.

When they meet up in Bulawayo, Anthony Cade agrees to take on two jobs for his friend James McGrath. Anthony heads for London to deliver the draft of a memoir to a publisher, and to return letters to the woman who wrote them. In England, politician George Lomax persuades Lord Caterham to host a house party at Chimneys. George's cousin Virginia Revel is invited, as is Hiram Fish, a collector of first edition books, along with the principals in a political scheme to restore the monarchy in Herzoslovakia – while assuring that newly discovered oil there will be handled by a British syndicate.

On Cade's first night in London, the letters are stolen from his hotel room by his waiter. The publisher sends Mr Holmes to pick up the memoirs. These were written by the late Count Stylptitch of Herzoslovakia; now that oil has been discovered, the nation is in turmoil between republicans and royalists. On advice, Cade puts a dummy package in the hotel safe. The thief brings one letter to Virginia Revel at her home, as it is her name in the signature of each letter. Unaware she did not write the letters, he wants to blackmail her. On a whim, she pays, and promises more money the next day. When she arrives home the next day, she finds him murdered in her house, and Anthony Cade on her door step. Cade arranges to have the body discovered elsewhere by the police, to avoid a scandal and allow Virginia to proceed to Chimneys.

At Chimneys, Prince Michael, presumed heir to the long-empty throne of Herzoslovakia, is killed the night of his arrival. Cade was at Chimneys that same evening, leaving footprints outdoors but not indoors. He boldly introduces himself to Superintendent Battle, explaining the story of the memoirs, and persuading Battle of his innocence in the murder. After seeing that the dead prince had posed as Mr Holmes, Cade pursues his own ideas in finding the murderer, while Battle leads the main investigation. The next heir to the throne, Nicholas, cousin to Michael, was raising money on his expectations in America. Cade checks out the governess, a recent addition to the household; he travels to France to speak with her prior employer.

The Koh-i-Noor diamond had been stolen from the Tower of London and replaced by a paste copy some years earlier, by a French thief named King Victor. Chimneys is one place where it may be hidden, though many searches have not found it. King Victor was released from prison in France a few months earlier, so Battle expects he will seek to recover it. The night Cade is in France, there is a break-in at Chimneys. Virginia Revel hears the noise, and sees one or two men taking old armor apart. She and Bill Eversleigh do not catch the thief. The next night, the three wait for a second attempt; they catch M Lemoine of the Sûreté, on the track of King Victor. Battle has been waiting for him. The stolen letters appear in Cade's room. Battle realizes the thieves want him to decode the letter that points to the location of the stolen gem, because Count Stylptitch had moved it from the place where the Queen had hidden it. This is done, revealing the clue: "Richmond seven straight eight left three right". Battle follows the Richmond clue to a brick in a hidden passage, which in turn reveals a puzzling conundrum. Cade slips out to Dover, to find an address on a slip of paper given him by Boris Anchoukoff, valet to the late prince. He finds the meeting of King Victor's gang; Hiram Fish, really a Pinkerton detective on the thief's trail for his crimes in America; and the real M Lemoine tied up as a hostage.

At Chimneys, all are gathered to hear the mysteries explained. In the library, Boris finds Miss Brun with a pistol, as she means to kill him and get the jewel. They struggle; the gun goes off in her hand, killing her. Miss Brun killed Prince Michael, because he had recognized her as someone else. She was the last queen consort of Herzoslovakia, thought to have been murdered with her husband in the revolution; but she escaped. She wrote the coded letters to Captain O'Neill, an alias of King Victor, and signed them with Virginia Revel's name. Cade introduces the real M Lemoine to the group, while Hiram Fish snares King Victor, who has been posing as the French detective and in America as Nicholas. Anthony Cade gave "Mr Holmes" the dummy package; he gives the real memoirs to Jimmy McGrath to earn his one thousand pounds. Cade and Fish solve the conundrum; it points to a rose on the grounds, where the Koh-i-Noor is subsequently recovered. Anthony presents himself as the missing Prince Nicholas, ready to ally with the British syndicate. He offers himself as Herzoslovakia's next king. Earlier that day, he married Virginia, who will be his queen.

One night, in Brussels, Belgium, a pair of criminals discreetly break into the aquarium and steal a priceless pearl. As soon as the security guards on duty see the empty shell, they rush away to raise the alarm. The criminals take advantage of the guards' absence by putting a fake pearl, the same size as the real one, in the shell. When the guards return with the director and the director sees the fake pearl, he thinks the guards were making it up, but then has second thoughts about the incident as a similar case happened at another museum two weeks before.

Meanwhile, Tintin, Snowy and Captain Haddock arrive in Syldavia, a country in the Balkans. They have come to join their friend Professor Calculus who has rented a villa near a lake in order to build his latest invention. At the airport they run into Thompson and Thomson, who are also heading for Calculus on a special mission.

The four men and dog fly by hired plane to Calculus' house, but during the flight they get into some engine trouble and the pilot bails out with the only parachute. Tintin attempts to safely land the plane, but it ends up on the edge of a cliff and on fire. They are saved with the help of two local children, Niko and his sister Nushka, and their dog Gustav. But as it turns out, the crash was deliberately set up, as the pilot contacts his superior ("Mr. Big"/"King Shark") via walkie-talkie to inform him that the plan has failed.

The children give their new friends a lift in their wagon, but as they learn of their destination, they warn them that there is a curse on the lake, at the bottom of which is an old submerged town. The party finally arrives at Calculus' villa where he demonstrates his invention: a camera which can project holographic images. His ultimate aim is to create a machine which will make actual copies of physical objects. Later, over dinner, Thompson and Thomson explain that they are Calculus' bodyguards as they suspect that a criminal organization specializing in making art forgeries wants to steal his machine. Eventually, everybody goes to bed. In the middle of the night, Snowy wakes up Tintin at one point after hearing a noise outside, but Tintin shakes it off as bird calls. In fact, the noise is made by Calculus' housekeeper, Madame Flik, who is in league with "Mr. Big" as well.

Next morning, while Tintin explores the local country with Niko and Nushka (unaware that there are cameras spying on his every move), and the Captain and the detectives play a game of golf, Snowy runs into a frogman who has obtained from Madame Black some plans stolen from Calculus' laboratory. The frogman escapes by jumping into the lake, but Snowy manages to bite off a part of one of his flippers. After the Captain and the detectives tell Tintin what has happened, he gives the dogs the bitten-off flipper to sniff. While Gustav leads Haddock to a pile of abandoned tires, Tintin follows Snowy to a buried chain which, when pulled, opens a passage to a hidden cave where the criminals have stashed the stolen art. After getting sealed inside the cave, Tintin finds an underwater tunnel leading out to the lake. On his way through, Tintin gets trapped by a wire net, but Snowy (who remained outside the cave) dives in and chews through the net, saving Tintin from drowning.

Back at home, Calculus demonstrates his new invention to the children—a machine that can copy any object from a piece of special soap. Unfortunately the effects are as yet short-lived, as the copied objects shortly turn back into their original substance. The criminals attack Calculus and the detectives with laughing gas and take the children away. Tintin and Haddock pursue them but fail to rescue Niko and Nushka. The criminals leave behind a message on a tape player from their leader, "King Shark", who tells the heroes (with a voice which is startingly familiar to Tintin) that they will get the children back in return for Calculus' invention. Tintin himself is to do the exchange and is not to call the police.

Tintin, Haddock, Calculus and the detectives search the house for bugs, and Tintin discovers a secret passage that leads to Madame Black's walkie-talkie hidden in the empty well, catching Madam Black in the process. Tintin decides to contact the police and comes up with a ruse to cover his tracks. Tintin and Snowy set off to the local town and just happen to meet their old friend, the opera singer Bianca Castafiore, who gives him a lift in her car to the town and even helps him in getting to the police. The chief of police listens to his story, but he is limited in what he can do since half the lake is in the jurisdiction of Borduria, a rival nation, and there are thus risks of a diplomatic incident.

Two days pass before Tintin finally returns to Calculus' house with the shark-like submarine which Calculus built during the search for ''Red Rackham's Treasure''. The plan is that Tintin will meet the crooks on the beach, and Haddock will follow him in the sub. At the meeting point, criminals pick Tintin up in a submarine, and they head underwater to the flooded city where their base is situated. The mastermind behind this operation is revealed to be none other than Tintin's nemesis Rastapopoulos, now calling himself "King Shark"/"Mr. Big". Rastapopoulos promises to set Niko and Nushka free for the device, but, unaware of Tintin's arrival, the children escape from their cell and hijack an underwater tank.

Rastapopoulos takes over control of the tank with his computer, but he then notices Captain Haddock's sub on his monitor and uses the tank to fire torpedoes at Haddock, which provokes a fight between Tintin and the other gangsters as he attempts to stop Rastapopoulos. Haddock's mini-sub is hit, jamming its propulsion, and the tank is returned to the base by remote control. While waiting for the children to return, Rastapopoulos takes Tintin to his office and shows him his art collection, gloating that with Calculus' machine, they can make multiple copies of all the stolen masterpieces and sell them off for huge amounts of money.

Rastapopoulos tries out Calculus' machine by cloning a cigar box, but the imitation proves highly unstable and grows to monstrous size, almost crushing Rastapopoulos and his lieutenant. In a rage, Rastapopoulos locks Tintin and the children in a chamber, but then learns that police boats are patrolling the lake. He therefore decides to evacuate the base and orders his men to take all the art he has in the underwater city to the cave. He then floods the chamber Tintin and the children are in with water. As soon as the water has reached a device high on the wall, the base will self-destruct.

Haddock manages to regain control of the disabled submarine and makes his way to the surface, encountering Thompson and Thomson and the chief of the Syldavian police in a patrol boat. Down below, with all of his men having evacuated the base, Rastapopoulos and his lieutenant leave the base in the submarine. Tintin and the children manage to get free and escape through an airlock in life jackets, just before the base explodes. They then reach the surface and rejoin their friends and the police. The police have captured all of Rastapopoulos' men, but the mastermind himself has already crossed the border in his submarine. Since they are not Syldavian officials and therefore not bound by international conventions, Tintin and Haddock insist in going after Rastapopoulos in a motor boat.

In order to pass the border posts, Rastapopoulos tries to navigate the sub through an underwater tunnel, but forgets to lower the sub's periscope, which hits a low rock and breaks, causing the sub to crash and get flooded. The villains make for the surface, but they are captured by Tintin and Haddock as soon as they attempt to leave the wrecked vessel. In the end, the Thompsons, Calculus, Niko, Nushka, and Gustav welcome Tintin, Snowy and Haddock back from their submarine vessel mission. Finally, Rastapopoulos and his seamen are taken away to Klow Prison by Syldavian Police Officials. Tintin, Snowy and Haddock return to Calculus' villa and are welcomed by a huge party of villagers who want to celebrate the end of the terror imposed by the gang, and Bianca Castafiore, who makes Haddock flee the party. Haddock tries to have a quiet moment to drink some whiskey, but gets his bottle destroyed by the Thompson twins playing golf. They all laugh over it.

On stardate 49655.2, Lieutenant Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Neelix (Ethan Phillips) are sent to collect botanical samples from a class-M planet. When beamed back aboard , the two men and the Orchidaceae they collected are merged at the molecular level to become a single lifeform which names himself Tuvix (Wright). After ruling out transporter malfunction, the crew discovers that when demolecularized, the genetic material of the alien orchids acted as a symbiogenetic catalyst and is the culprit for the combination of the two crewmembers. Unfortunately, the process cannot be reversed, and Tuvix is accepted as a member of the crew with the rank of lieutenant, functioning as chief tactical officer in Tuvok's stead.

Kes (Jennifer Lien) reacts poorly to Tuvix as his existence deprives her of both Tuvok and Neelix, her mentor and boyfriend respectively. Her displeasure lessens over the course of the episode, but never completely goes away. Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) accepts Tuvix in his role as an excellent chief tactical officer and "an able advisor, who skillfully uses humor to make his points". Tuvix himself, having the combined memories and personalities of his constituents, melds the previously intractable qualities of both and improves upon them, flexing either muscle as the situation requires: "Chief of security or head chef, take your pick!"

Two weeks after the accident, the Doctor (Robert Picardo) develops a contemporary equivalent to barium sulfate radiocontrasting using a custom radioisotope with which he can identify the disparate DNA of the two original crewmen and use the transporter to disentangle them. However, Tuvix denounces the procedure; he argues that he has rights and to restore the two lost crewmen would require his execution. After discussing the situation with Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran), Kes, and Tuvix himself, Janeway ultimately decides to proceed with the separation, acting ''in absentia'' to protect the rights of the two constituent men. Tuvix makes a final emotive plea for support from the crew, but finds no supporters. After the Doctor refuses to take Tuvix's life in compliance with the medical precept of doing no harm, Janeway performs the procedure herself and succeeds in restoring both Tuvok and Neelix.

Captain Haddock (Georges Wilson) learns that an old shipmate, Paparanic, has died and left him a ship, the Golden Fleece. Tintin (Jean-Pierre Talbot), Snowy and the Captain travel to Istanbul only to find it's an old cargo ship in a dilapidated state. On board, they meet the ship's cook Clodion and Paparanic's pet parrot Romulus. A businessman named Anton Karabine (Demetrios Myrat) arrives and claiming to be an old friend of Paparanic, offers to buy the boat for "sentimental" reasons, but the huge amounts that he offers makes Tintin suspicious and on his advice Haddock to take time to think it over.

While touring Istanbul, there are several attempts on their lives, and determined to find out what is going on Haddock decides to keep the ship. One of the clauses of Paparanic's will was that on accepting the ship, they also fulfill its current obligations so after hiring 3 crewmen - Angorapoulos, Attila and Yefima, they set off for Athens to deliver the cargo. During the journey Tintin catches Angorapoulos (Marcel Bozzuffi) searching through Paparanic's papers. After a short round of judo, he is subdued and locked in the hold but escapes, stealing a lifeboat.

In Athens, Tintin and Haddock go to the carpet seller Midas Papos (Darío Moreno), who turns out to be another of Paparanic's old shipmates. Grief-stricken to learn of his friend's death, he is shot by a man through the window before he can relate any information. Caught holding the gun, Tintin and Haddock are arrested but released thanks to the arrival of the policemen Thomson and Thompson, and on Papos' word, who is alive and recovering in hospital.

Tintin finds an old newspaper article showing that in their youth, Paparanic, Papos, Karabine, plus two strangers, were adventurers who were involved in a coup in the Latin American republic of Tetaragua, and formed a short-lived government. The article includes a photo of the five men.

Tintin later spots Angorapoulos in a barber's shop and follows him to the local offices of Karexport, which is run by Karabine. Trailing him by car, Tintin, Snowy and Haddock follow him to a village in the countryside where Angorapoulous and some accomplices kidnap a musician at a wedding. Chasing them on a motorbike, the crooks' car is forced off the road, and the villains flee on foot. Saving the kidnap victim, Scoubidouvitch (Dimos Starenios), he is revealed as the fourth man in the photo. He suffers from "memory loss", but for 1000 drachmas reveals that a large amount of gold is involved, and suggests that Tintin and Haddock consult the fifth man in the photo, Alexandre (Charles Vanel) who now lives in a monastery in Meteora.

Travelling there, they find the former adventurer is now Father Alexandre, as he has repented and become a monk. He reveals the rest of the Tetaragua story: when forced out, they'd taken a large quantity of gold from the central bank, and that Captain Paparanic had kept half while the others split the rest. Before departing, Father Alexandre gives Tintin and Haddock a bottle of wine which Paparanic gave him while visiting him last Christmas, and told him to drink only after his death. When Haddock accidentally breaks the bottle, the label is discovered to be a map to the location of Paparanic's gold.

Tintin and Haddock return to the Golden Fleece, where Professor Cuthbert Calculus has arrived to join them. Secretly, Yefima drains the fuel to prevent the ship from leaving port, but Tintin discovers him and throws him overboard in another bout of judo. Fortunately, Calculus has invented a special tablet called "Super-Cuthbertoleum" which, mixed with the remaining fuel, is more than enough to enable the ship to reach their destination, the island of Thassika.

The map includes an X just off the island's coast and, using his pendulum, Calculus locates the gold's location. Diving underwater, Tintin discovers a sea-chest filled with long, oddly shaped bars of gold. No sooner have the members of the Golden Fleece got the chest out of the water that they are held at gunpoint by Karabine, Angorapoulos, Yefima and their men who'd snuck aboard. Haddock gets caught up in a fishing net, Snowy gets tied up and Tintin is shot at and falls back into the water, left for dead. The companions are locked in a cabin, and explosives placed to blow up the ship.

Karabine and his men take the chest back to their helicopter only to come under attack by the police, including Thomson and Thompson, led by Attila who is revealed to be an undercover police officer. Karabine gets aboard the helicopter, which suddenly takes off; Tintin has dispatched the pilot and is flying. Karabine pulls a gun, but Tintin disarms him. Beaten, the crook declares that no-one will get the gold, opens a hatch and lets the chest fall into the sea. The rest of the gang surrender to the police. Aboard the ship, Snowy manages to get loose, and rolls on the fuse to put it out, saving the companions.

With Tintin back on board, Calculus, using his pendulum, insists that the gold is still right below them, despite the sea-chest being too deep to recover. Thinking of the words in Paparanic's will, Tintin chips away at the paint on the ship's oddly shaped railings to find they are in fact solid gold, painted over. The chest had contained the original copper railings, and was just a red herring.

Back home at Marlinspike Hall, a package arrives from Tetaragua announcing the main square in the capital is renamed Paparanic Square, and bestowing on Haddock their highest decoration, the Order of the Scarlet Cheetah, as thanks for returning the gold. As the film ends, the local band helps Tintin, Snowy, Haddock, Nestor, and Clodion (their new cook) celebrate, while Calculus displays his latest invention: a flying birdcage for the parrot Romulus.

The overbearing wife of James Cabpleasure demands that Holmes investigate the abnormal attachment her husband has to an ordinary umbrella. Gloria Cabpleasure has gone to the trouble of having a mechanic examine the umbrella for any secret compartment. Holmes and Watson discover that Mrs. Cabpleasure has even gone to the police, and Inspector Lestrade is investigating Mr. Cabpleasure also. While conducting surveillance on the Cabpleasure home, everyone observes James Cabpleasure emerge from his front door, go back for his umbrella, and then vanish completely, along with valuable diamonds from his company.

The story begins with the assassinations of two ideologically divergent Supreme Court Justices. Both murders are committed by Khamel, the most wanted hitman in the world. Justice Rosenberg, a liberal, is killed at his home while Justice Jensen, a Republican-appointed swing voter, is killed inside a gay movie theater in Washington, D.C. The circumstances surrounding their deaths, as well as the deaths themselves, shock and confuse a politically divided nation.

Darby Shaw, a Tulane University law student, conducts research on Rosenberg and Jensen's records and writes a legal brief speculating they were not killed for political reasons. She shows the brief to Thomas Callahan, her law professor and lover, who in turn shows it to his friend, an FBI lawyer, Gavin Verheek. Soon afterwards, Callahan is killed by a car bomb, while Darby, who witnesses his death, is contacted at the scene by suspicious people. Afraid that she is the next target, Darby goes on the run. She contacts and agrees to meet Verheek, but Khamel murders Verheek and impersonates him when they meet. He is just about to kill Darby when he is shot by an unknown person. Darby manages to escape again.

Gray Grantham, a reporter for ''The Washington Post'', is contacted by an informant calling himself "Garcia", who believes he has seen something in his law office that is related to the assassinations. However, Garcia is reluctant to come forward. Darby shows her findings to Grantham, believing that the assassinations were committed on behalf of Victor Mattiece, an oil tycoon who seeks to drill on Louisiana marshland which is home to an endangered species of pelican. A case that would decide whether Mattiece can gain access to the land is expected to be heard before the Supreme Court. Despite their status as ideological opposites, the two slain justices had a single characteristic in common: a history of environmentalism, causing Darby to surmise that Mattiece orchestrated their murders to make sure their replacements would be appointed by the current President, a hardline reactionary. Grantham agrees to help Darby prove her suspicion is correct.

The President and his Chief of Staff, Fletcher Coal, try to cover up the White House's link to Mattiece, afraid that it might endanger the President's re-election. The President orders FBI Director F. Denton Voyles to temporarily stop working on the brief, and asks the more trusted CIA Director Bob Gminski to conduct the investigation instead. They also send an agent to Mattiece to find out whether the brief is true, but Mattiece, who has become practically insane over the past several years, has the agent killed.

Darby and Grantham manage to track down Curtis Morgan, a.k.a. "Garcia", an employee of the law firm representing Mattiece, only to find out that he died some days before in an apparent mugging. They manage to contact his widow, leading them to discover Morgan's written and videotaped testimony. Morgan reveals that, some time before the assassinations, he accidentally looked at an internal correspondence and realized that some of his co-workers were involved in the murders. Afraid that he himself might be killed, Morgan decided to record his testimony. With this evidence, Grantham and Darby approach the ''Post'' s chief editor. Voyles appears at the newsroom and reveals that he has a tape recording of the conversation with the President ordering him to stop working on the brief, and that the CIA was investigating Mattiece and killed Khamel to save Darby's life. He also arranges a plane for Darby to disappear.

The story prominently appears in the ''Post'', over the objections of the President and his staff. One of the implicated lawyers commits suicide. The President is expected to announce he will not seek re-election. Mattiece disappears. Darby settles on an island in the Caribbean and is joined by Grantham, who agrees to stay for at least a month.

Holmes and Watson are relaxing in their vacation hotel in East Grinstead when Inspector Gregson of Scotland Yard arrives to obtain assistance in a dreadful murder. Colonel Jocelyn Dalcy, a guest in the home of Sir Reginald Lavington, has been found stabbed to death. No weapon was found, but a dagger is missing from a nearby display. Sir Reginald claims he was using it while fishing and mislaid it. All suspicion falls upon him, and Gregson is about to make the arrest, but Holmes asks for a day to do some more research. An interview with the beautiful Lady Lavington provides the final clue.

Brandon Teena is a young trans man whose birth name was Teena Renae Brandon. When Brandon is discovered to be transgender by a former girlfriend's brother, he receives death threats. Soon after, he is involved in a bar fight and is evicted from his cousin's trailer. Brandon moves to Falls City, Nebraska, where he befriends ex-convicts John Lotter and Tom Nissen, and their friends Candace and Lana Tisdel. Brandon becomes romantically involved with Lana, who is initially unaware both of his anatomy and his troubled past. The two make plans to move to Memphis, where Brandon will manage Lana's karaoke singing career. Eventually, they kiss during a date night which ends with them having sex.

The police detain Brandon on charges that arose prior to his relocation; they place him in the women's section of the Falls City prison. Lana bails Brandon out and asks why he was placed in a women's prison. Brandon attempts to lie to her, saying he was born a hermaphrodite and will soon receive genital reconstruction surgery, but Lana stops him, declaring her love for Brandon regardless of his gender. However, while Brandon is in prison, Candace finds a number of documents listing Brandon's birth name, Teena Brandon, and she and her friends react to this news with shock and disgust. They enter Brandon's room, search among Brandon's things, and discover some transgender literature that confirms their suspicions. Tom and John violently confront Brandon, forcing him to remove his pants and reveal his genitals. They try to make Lana look, but she shields her eyes and turns away. After this confrontation, Tom and John drag Brandon into John's car and drive to an isolated location, where they brutally beat and gang rape him.

Afterwards, they take Brandon to Tom's house. Though injured, Brandon escapes through a bathroom window. Although his assailants threaten Brandon and warn him not to report the attack to the police, Lana persuades him to do so. However, the police chief proves to be less concerned with the crime than with Brandon's "sexual identity crisis."

Later, John and Tom get drunk and drive to Candace's house. Lana attempts to stop them, but they find Brandon, who has been hiding in a nearby shed. John shoots Brandon under the chin, killing him instantly. While Candace is crying out to them to spare her baby, Tom shoots her in the head and kills her as Lana fights with them, begging them to stop. Tom stabs Brandon's lifeless body. John and Tom flee the scene while a crying Lana lies with Brandon's body and the baby toddles through the open door to the outside, crying. The next morning, Lana awakens next to Brandon's corpse. Her mother arrives and takes her away from the scene. As Lana leaves Falls City, a letter Brandon wrote to her is heard in a voiceover.

Rising early one morning for his medical practice, Dr Watson discovers that his first patient is Cora Murray, his wife's friend. She informs Watson that Colonel Warburton is dead. His wife, Eleanor Warburton, is horribly wounded. Because the couple had locked themselves in a room with a collection of Indian antiquities before the gunshots were heard, the incident appears to be a murder–suicide caused by a sudden fit of madness in the Colonel.

Watson escorts Miss Murray to Sherlock Holmes' residence at 221B Baker Street, and Holmes soon becomes interested in the case. Holmes learns that Miss Murray, Major Earnshaw, and Captain Lasher (the Colonel's nephew) were all in the house at the time of the tragedy, along with a sinister Indian servant.

Middle-aged Cecilia Carol "C.C." Bloom, a New York actress and singer, receives a note during a rehearsal for her upcoming Los Angeles concert. She leaves in a panic to travel to the side of her friend Hillary Whitney, a San Francisco heiress and lawyer. Unable to get a flight to San Francisco because of fog, she rents a car and drives overnight, reflecting on her lifelong friendship with Hillary.

Hillary and C.C. met in 1958, under the boardwalk on the beach in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Hillary is lost and C.C. is hiding from her overbearing stage mother. They become fast friends, growing up and bonding through letters of support to each other. Hillary becomes a human rights lawyer, while C.C.'s singing career does not exactly take off. Hillary shows up at the New York City dive bar where C.C. is performing, their first meeting since Atlantic City. She moves in with C.C. and gets a job with the ACLU. C.C. is now performing singing telegrams, leading to a job offer from John, the artistic director of the Falcon Players, after she sings his birthday telegram.

A love triangle ensues as Hillary and John are instantly attracted to one another, leaving C.C. resenting her best friend. Hillary and John sleep together on the opening night of C.C.'s first lead role in an off-Broadway production. When Hillary returns home to care for her ailing father, the two friends resolve their issues about John, as John does not have romantic feelings for C.C. After her father passes away, Hillary spends time at her family beach house with lawyer Michael Essex, eventually marrying him. C.C. and John spend a lot of time together, start dating and eventually marry. Hillary and Michael travel to New York to see C.C. perform on Broadway, where she has become a star. When C.C. finds out that Hillary has stopped working as a lawyer, she accuses her of giving up on her dreams. Hillary responds that C.C. has become obsessed with her career. After the argument, Hillary ignores C.C.'s letters, throwing herself into being a dutiful, but unchallenged, wife.

John tells C.C. that her self-centeredness and obsession with her career have him feeling left behind, and he asks for a divorce. C.C. turns to her mother for advice. Her mother tells her that she has given up a lot for her daughter, and C.C. starts to understand when her mother tells her the effect that her selfishness has had on those closest to her.

Hillary discovers her husband is having an affair. When Hillary learns that C.C. is performing in San Francisco, she makes contact for the first time in years. They learn of each other's divorces, then discover that they have been secretly jealous of each other for years: Hillary is upset that she has none of C.C.'s talent or charisma, while C.C. admits she has always been envious of Hillary's beauty and intelligence.

Hillary tells C.C. that she is pregnant, and has already decided to raise the child as a single parent. This wins her admiration from the feisty and independent C.C., who promises to stay and help her out. C.C. starts talking of settling down, and having a family of her own, having become engaged to Hillary's obstetrician. However, when C.C.'s agent calls with the perfect comeback gig for her, C.C. abandons her fiancé, and races back to New York City. Hillary gives birth to a daughter, whom she names Victoria Cecilia. When Victoria is a young girl, Hillary develops viral cardiomyopathy, requiring a heart transplant. Having a rare tissue type, she realizes she will most likely die before a heart is found.

C.C. has become a big star, having won a Tony award, and completed her latest hit album. When she learns of Hillary's illness, she accompanies Hillary and Victoria to the beach house for the summer. Hillary becomes depressed due to her debilitated state, and takes her frustration out on C.C. whom she sees having fun with and connecting with Victoria. Hillary eventually begins to accept her prognosis bravely, appreciating her time with Victoria and C.C. Hillary and Victoria return to San Francisco, while C.C. heads to Los Angeles for a concert. Hillary collapses and is found by her daughter, leading to the note C.C. receives that prompts her to leave her rehearsal. C.C. takes Hillary and Victoria to the beach house, where Hillary dies.

After the funeral, C.C. takes custody of Victoria, and the two console each other in their grief. C.C. goes forward with her concert and concludes it by singing "The Glory of Love", the first song Hillary heard her sing 30 years ago; as the song ends, C.C. tearfully waves toward the sky, in tribute to her. After the show, she leaves hand-in-hand with Victoria and begins telling stories of when she first met her mother.

The story begins with the unnamed narrator arriving at the house of his friend, Roderick Usher, having received a letter from him in a distant part of the country complaining of an illness and asking for his help. As he arrives, the narrator notices a thin crack extending from the roof, down the front of the house and into the adjacent tarn, or lake.

It is revealed that Roderick's sister, Madeline, is also ill and falls into cataleptic, deathlike trances. Roderick and Madeline are the only remaining members of the Usher family.

The narrator is impressed with Roderick's paintings and attempts to cheer him by reading with him and listening to his improvised musical compositions on the guitar. Roderick sings "The Haunted Palace", then tells the narrator that he believes the house he lives in to be alive, and that this sentience arises from the arrangement of the masonry and vegetation surrounding it. Further, Roderick believes that his fate is connected to the family mansion.

Roderick later informs the narrator that Madeline has died. Fearing that her body will be exhumed for medical study, Roderick insists that she be entombed for two weeks in the family tomb located in the house before being permanently buried. The narrator helps Roderick put Madeline's body in the tomb, whereupon the narrator realizes that Madeline and Roderick are twins. The narrator also notes that Madeline's body has rosy cheeks, which sometimes happens after death. Over the next week, both Roderick and the narrator find themselves increasingly agitated.

A storm begins, and Roderick comes to the narrator's bedroom (which is situated directly above the house's vault) in an almost hysterical state. Throwing the windows open to the storm, Roderick points out that the lake surrounding the house seems to glow in the dark, just as Roderick depicted in his paintings, but there is no lightning or other explainable source for the glow.

The narrator attempts to calm Roderick down by reading aloud from a medieval romance entitled ''The Mad Trist'', a novel involving a knight named Ethelred who breaks into a hermit's dwelling in an attempt to escape an approaching storm, only to find a palace of gold guarded by a dragon. Ethelred also finds a shining brass shield hanging on a wall. Upon the shield is inscribed: Who entereth herein, a conqueror hath bin; Who slayeth the dragon, the shield he shall win;Poe, Edgar A. "The Fall of the House of Usher." 1839. ''Elements of Literature''. Fifth Course. Austin: Holt, Rinehart, and Winston, 2009. 321–33. Print. Ethelred swings his mace at the dragon, which dies with a piercing shriek. When he attempts to take the shield from the wall, it falls to the floor with an unnerving clatter.

As the narrator reads of the knight's forcible entry into the dwelling, he and Roderick hear cracking and ripping sounds from somewhere in the house. When the dragon's death cries are described, a real shriek is heard, again within the house. As he relates the shield falling from off the wall, a hollow metallic reverberation can be heard throughout the house. At first, the narrator ignores the noises, but Roderick becomes increasingly hysterical. Roderick eventually declares that he has been hearing these sounds for days, and that they are being made by his sister, who was in fact alive when she was entombed.

The bedroom door is then blown open to reveal Madeline, bloodied from her arduous escape from the tomb. In a final fit of rage, she attacks her brother, scaring him to death as she herself expires. The narrator then runs from the house, and, as he does, he notices a flash of moonlight behind him. He turns back in time to see the moon shining through the suddenly widened crack in the house. As he watches, the House of Usher splits in two and the fragments sink away into the lake.

The show follows the Mitchell family – Henry, Alice, and their only child, Dennis, an energetic, trouble-prone, mischievous, but well-meaning boy, who often tangles first with his peace-and-quiet-loving neighbor, George Wilson, a retired salesman, and later with George's brother John, a writer. Dennis is basically a good, well-intentioned boy who always tries to help people, but winds up making situations worse. Mr. Wilson has a love-hate relationship toward Dennis who did not realize the aggravation that he would cause. He called Mr. Wilson his "best friend" or "Good Ol' Mr. Wilson".

In 1988, Dottie Hinson attends the opening of the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League exhibit at the Baseball Hall of Fame. She sees many former teammates and friends, prompting a flashback to 1943.

When World War II threatens to shut down Major League Baseball, Chicago Cubs owner Walter Harvey persuades his fellow owners to bankroll a women's league. Ira Lowenstein is put in charge. Scout Ernie Capadino attends an industrial-league softball game in Oregon and likes what he sees in Dottie, the catcher for a local dairy. She is happy with her life while waiting for her husband Bob to return from the war. Her sister Kit, however, is desperate to get away and make something of herself. Capadino is unimpressed by Kit's batting and refuses to evaluate her pitching, but agrees to take her along if she changes Dottie's mind. Dottie agrees for her sister's sake.

Dottie and Kit travel to Harvey Field in Chicago for the tryout. They meet taxi dancer Mae "All the Way Mae" Mordabito and her best friend, bouncer Doris Murphy, soft-spoken right fielder Evelyn Gardner, illiterate left fielder Shirley Baker, pitcher/shortstop and former Miss Georgia beauty queen Ellen Sue Gotlander, left field/relief pitcher Betty "Spaghetti" Horn, second baseperson Marla Hooch, first baseperson Helen Haley, and superstitious Alice "Skeeter" Gaspers. They and five others are selected to form the Rockford Peaches, while 48 others make up the Racine Belles, Kenosha Comets, and South Bend Blue Sox.

The Peaches are managed by former star Cubs slugger Jimmy Dugan, a cynical alcoholic. He treats the whole thing as a joke and is abrasive toward his players. The team travels with Evelyn's spoiled bratty son Stillwell and tightly wound team chaperone Miss Cuthburt. With a ''Life'' magazine photographer in the stands, Lowenstein begs the players to do something spectacular, as the league has attracted little attention. Dottie obliges, catching a popped-up ball behind home plate while doing a split. The resulting photograph makes the magazine cover. A publicity campaign draws more people to the ballgames, but the owners remain unconvinced.

The teammates bond. Marla marries a man named Nelson whom she meets on a raucous roadhouse outing and leaves the team, Mae teaches Shirley to read, and Evelyn writes a team song. As Dottie is made the face of the league, Kit becomes resentful and their sibling rivalry intensifies, resulting in Kit's trade to the Racine Belles.

The Peaches end the season with the league's best record, qualifying for the World Series. Jimmy gives Betty a telegram informing her that her husband was killed in action in the Pacific Theater. Grief-stricken, she leaves the team. That evening, Dottie receives a surprise when Bob shows up, having been wounded and discharged from the Army. Jimmy discovers that Dottie is going home with Bob. Unable to persuade her to play in the World Series, he tells her she will regret her decision.

The Peaches face the Belles in the World Series, which goes the full seven games. Dottie rejoins the Peaches for the seventh game, while Kit is the starting pitcher for the Belles. With the Belles leading by a run in the top of the ninth, Dottie drives in the go-ahead run. Kit is distraught, but gets a second chance when she comes to bat with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. She gets a hit, and ignoring the third base coach's sign to stop, scores the winning run by knocking her sister over at the plate and dislodging the ball from Dottie's hand. (Over the years, fans and even cast members have been divided over whether Dottie dropped the ball on purpose.)

The sellout crowd convinces Harvey to give Lowenstein the owners' support. After the game, the sisters reconcile before Dottie leaves with Bob.

In the present, Dottie is reunited with the other players, including Kit, as well as Capadino and Lowenstein, but she learns from an older Stillwell that Evelyn is dead. Bob and Dugan are revealed to be dead too. The surviving Peaches sing Evelyn's team song and pose for a photo. During the closing credits, they play baseball at Doubleday Field.

''Fear and Desire'' opens with an off-screen narration by actor David Allen who tells the audience: :There is a war in this forest. Not a war that has been fought, nor one that will be, but any war. And the enemies who struggle here do not exist unless we call them into being. This forest then, and all that happens now is outside history. Only the unchanging shapes of fear and doubt and death are from our world. These soldiers that you see keep our language and our time, but have no other country but the mind.

The story is set during a war between two unidentified countries. An airplane carrying four soldiers from one country has crashed six miles behind enemy lines. The soldiers come upon a river and build a raft, hoping they can use the waterway to reach their battalion. As they are building their raft, they are approached by a young peasant girl who does not speak their language. The soldiers apprehend the girl and bind her to a tree with their belts. The youngest of them, Sidney, is left behind to guard the girl. He starts to talk to her, but as she doesn't understand him, he descends into a state of delirium. When he unbelts her, believing she will embrace him, she tries to escape and Sidney shoots her dead. Mac, another of the four soldiers, finds the dead girl and watches as Sidney runs off towards the river. Mac persuades the commander, Lt. Corby, and his friend Fletcher to let him take the raft for a solo voyage, in connection with a plan to kill an enemy general at a nearby base. Mac distracts the general's guards by shooting at them while on the raft and is wounded. While this is happening, Fletcher and Corby successfully infiltrate the base, and the enemy general is killed. After killing the general, they use an enemy plane to escape to their home base. After landing, they talk and eat with their own general, and return to the river to await Mac. Sitting there, they philosophize about war and how no man is made for it, before finding the raft floating downriver, with a dying Mac and a delirious Sidney.

Fourteen-year-old Melinda Sordino begins her first year in high school and struggles on the first day. She doesn't have any friends to hang out with, and appears awkward and uncomfortable when speaking to others. Throughout the day, she is made fun of by several students, repeatedly called a "squealer". A series of flashbacks reveal that she called the police to a house party during the previous summer. Her reason for calling 9-1-1 was to tell the police that she had been raped by a senior student at the party, Andy Evans, but her trauma prevented her from reporting the rape over the telephone or to the police when they arrived.

When her parents see her report card, they prompt Melinda to see a teacher named Mr. Neck, who tells her to write an essay on any history topic. After refusing to read her paper aloud to her class, she is sent to the principal's office. Melinda is nice to a new student named Heather Billings, who claims to be Melinda's "friend", but Heather soon abandons Melinda when the chance for social advancement arises. The only other student with whom Melinda has a positive experience is her lab partner, Dave Petrakis, who has successfully managed to avoid affiliating himself with a clique.

The restoration of Melinda's confidence progresses at a painfully slow rate, with some help from Dave and her art teacher, Mr. Freeman. Her former best friend, Rachel Bruin, starts dating Andy, and Melinda fears that Rachel will suffer the same fate as she did. Melinda meets Rachel at the library and tells her the truth about what happened at the party by writing it on paper. Rachel first refuses to believe, thinking that Melinda is lying out of jealousy and calls her "sick", but comes to realize the truth by confronting Andy who had spoken Melinda's name earlier (despite claiming to have never met any of Rachel's friends before). Rachel then avoids Andy out of anger for his lies and for fear of getting raped by him, telling other people of what happened at the party all the while.

Exposed as a rapist and a liar, Andy retaliates against Melinda, cornering her; he tries to force her to tell everybody at school that the incident is false and attempts to rape her again. Melinda struggles and throws a bottle of turpentine at his face, blinding him, and overpowers him after holding a shard of glass from a broken mirror to his neck, threatening to kill him. They are found by Melinda's distanced friend Nicole who, along with other girls from her field hockey team, help Melinda trap a now-helpless Andy to prevent further attack. The altercation removes any doubt about what happened at the house party, and the girls who restrain him are outraged by it and tempted to beat him with their sticks out of spite. Mr. Neck sees Melinda walking away from the scene and asks what was going on, but Melinda doesn't respond.

On the way back from the hospital after being treated for her injuries, Melinda rolls down the car window and breathes in deeply. She finally finds the strength to tell her mother, who already suspects something awful, the truth about what happened at the party.

Book One

Little Seeds

The first chapter, "Little Seeds," describes the growing years of the main character, Patrick Lewis, providing causation for his subsequent actions in the novel. As a young boy in Depot Creek, Ontario, Patrick watches the loggers arrive in town in the winter, work in the mills in the other seasons, and skate on the frozen river. Patrick's father, Hazen Lewis becomes a dynamiter and is meticulous when washing his clothes each evening to remove remnants of explosives on his apparel. These elements form the foundation of the subsequent narrative: Depot Creek, the loggers skating, learning about dynamite, etc.

The Bridge

"The Bridge" deals with the construction of the Bloor Street Viaduct, which will link eastern Toronto with the center of the city and will carry traffic, water and electricity across the Don Valley. R.C. Harris, the city's Commissioner of Public Works often visits the bridge at night. One night, five nuns wander onto the unfinished bridge and one falls off. Nicholas Temelcoff, a Macedonian immigrant worker on the bridge, saves the nun who fell off the bridge, dislocating his arm. The nun, already missing her veil, tears her habit to make him a sling. Later, at a bar, he offers her brandy, compliments, and a new lease on life. Temelcoff is a silent man who struggles with English yet they are able to transcend their social and language barriers through the commonality of their scars— his from work, hers from being "always unlucky." This moment is the beginning of the nun's eventual transformation into the character Alice. He eventually falls asleep and wakes to find a doctor treating his arm and the nun gone.

The Searcher

As a young man, Patrick leaves the profession that killed his father and sets out to find the vanished millionaire Ambrose Small. This leads him to Small's mistress Clara Dickens and to a relationship with her. Eventually, Patrick loses interest in finding Small, hoping only to remove Clara from Small. Clara tells Patrick that she will leave him to go after Small and warns him not to follow her. Patrick is broken-hearted. Three years later, Clara's friend Alice unexpectedly arrives and tells Patrick that Clara's mother might know where Clara is. Patrick sets out to search for Clara. On meeting Clara's mother, Patrick learns that Clara and Small are living in his old hometown. Patrick finds Small living in a house owned by a timber company, and Small attempts to set him on fire—once by dropping kerosene on him and then by throwing a Molotov cocktail. Patrick escapes to his hotel room and is visited by Clara, who dresses his wounds and makes love to him before returning to Small.

Book Two

Palace of Purification

In 1930, Patrick is working as a dynamiter on a tunnel under Lake Ontario, a project of Commissioner Rowland Harris. Patrick rents an apartment in a Macedonian neighborhood. He is accepted into the neighborhood and is invited by Kosta, a fellow dynamiter, to a gathering at the Waterworks—a place where various nationalities gather for secret political discussions and entertainment. Patrick witnesses a performance in which an actor repeatedly smashes her hand against the stage and rushes forward to help her. He recognizes her as Alice Gull. His act of helping her turns out to be part of the show. Patrick visits Alice and learns about Hana, her nine-year-old daughter. Patrick and Alice become lovers. Patrick finds work in a leather company through Alice's friends and meets Nicholas Temelcoff, now a baker. On studying the bridge, Patrick learns about the nun that had fallen off, whose body was never found. He makes the connection after talking with Temelcoff and promises to look after Hana.

Remorse

Patrick travels by train, north of Huntsville, then takes a steamer to a Muskoka hotel frequented by the rich. He burns down the hotel, then escapes on a small boat, traveling to the next island, where he meets the blind Elizabeth. We learn that Alice has died suddenly and that Patrick committed the arson out of anger. Patrick swims out to a boat, knowing he will be caught by the authorities.

Book Three

Caravaggio

In the Kingston Penitentiary, Patrick and two other prisoners, Buck and Caravaggio, are painting the roof. Patrick and Buck paint Caravaggio in the blue of the roof so he can hide and escape. He steals new clothes and changes his dressing. Jumping a milk train, he makes his way north toward cottage country. He has a scar from an attack from which Patrick saved him by yelling out a square dance call. Caravaggio recalls his first robbery, in the course of which he broke his ankle while retrieving a painting, so he had hidden in a mushroom factory where a young woman named Giannetta helped him recover, with whom he had escaped by dressing as a woman. Caravaggio enters the cottage of a woman whom he met on the lake and calls his wife to let her know he's all right. After talking to the cottage owner, he returns to his brother-in-law's house, reuniting with Giannetta.

Maritime Theatre

Four years later, Patrick is released from prison and meets Temelcoff at the Geranium Bakery. Hana, now sixteen, has been living with Temelcoff's family. Patrick takes responsibility for Hana. One night, she wakes him to say that Clara Dickens has called. She tells him that Small is dead and asks him to pick her up from Marmora.

Realizing that the water supply is vulnerable to being cut off or poisoned, Harris installs guards at the Waterworks, which he built. Caravaggio introduces Patrick to his wife. They fraternize at a party for the rich, then steal a multimillion-dollar yacht from a couple they chloroform. Patrick intends to blow up the Filtration Plant with dynamite and Caravaggio's help. Patrick enters the plant through the water intake. He places dynamite about the plant testing facility and carries the detonating box to Harris' office, where he accuses Harris of exploiting the workers and ignoring their plight. Patrick tells Harris how Alice Gull was killed and we learn that she accidentally picked up the wrong satchel, containing a bomb. Patrick exhausted falls asleep, and in the morning Harris asks the police to defuse the bombs and bring a nurse for Patrick.

Patrick awakes and goes with Hana to retrieve Clara. At Hana's urging, Patrick tells her about Clara. Patrick asks Hana to drive to Marmora. The book ends with "'Lights' he said."

Gilbert Gosseyn (pronounced ''go sane''), a man living in an apparent utopia where those with superior understanding and mental control rule the rest of humanity, wants to be tested by the giant Machine that determines such superiority. However, he finds that his memories are false. In his search for his real identity, he discovers that he has extra bodies that are activated when he dies (so that, in a sense, he cannot be killed), that a galactic society of humans exists outside the Solar system, a large interstellar empire wishes to conquer both the Earth and Venus (inhabited by masters of non-Aristotelian logic), and he has extra brain matter that, when properly trained, can allow him to move matter with his mind.

The novel is set in the reign of "old King Henry VI" (1422–1461, 1470–1471) and during the Wars of the Roses (1455–1487). The story begins with the Tunstall Moat House alarm bell, rung to summon recruits for its absent lord Sir Daniel Brackley, to join the Battle of Risingham; at which the outlaw "fellowship" known as "the Black Arrow" begins to strike with its "four black arrows" for the "four black hearts" of Brackley and three of his retainers: Nicholas Appleyard, Bennet Hatch, and Sir Oliver Oates, the parson. The rhyme posted in explanation of this attack makes the protagonist Richard ('Dick') Shelton, ward of Sir Daniel, curious about the death of his father Sir Harry Shelton. Having been dispatched to Kettley, where Sir Daniel was quartered, and sent to Tunstall Moat House by return dispatch, he falls in with a fugitive, Joanna Sedley, disguised as a boy with the alias of John Matcham: an heiress kidnapped by Sir Daniel to obtain guardianship over her and to retain his control over Richard by marrying her to him.

As they travel through Tunstall Forest, Joanna tries to persuade Dick to turn against Sir Daniel in sympathy with the Black Arrow outlaws, whose camp they discover near the ruins of Grimstone manor. The next day they are met in the forest by Sir Daniel himself, disguised as a leper and returning to the Moat House after his side was defeated at Risingham. Dick and Joanna then follow Sir Daniel to the Moat House. Here Dick confirms that Sir Daniel is the murderer of his father, and escapes injured from the Moat House. He is rescued by the outlaws of the Black Arrow.

The second half of the novel, books 3–5, tells how Dick rescues Joanna from Sir Daniel with the help of both the Black Arrow fellowship and the Yorkist army led by Richard Crookback, Duke of Gloucester, the future Richard III of England. The action centre is Shoreby on the North Sea coast, where the Lancastrian forces are entrenched. While shadowing Sir Daniel, Dick and the outlaws encounter another group of spies interested in Joanna: her lawful guardian, Lord Foxham, and his retainers. Dick and his outlaws defeat Foxham in a night skirmish. Foxham in accordance with knightly honor agrees to yield himself to Dick at St. Bride's Cross outside Shoreby the next day. They become fast friends, and Foxham promises Joanna to Dick in marriage after a contemplated seaside rescue. This enterprise fails, leaving Foxham wounded and unable to personally help Dick. He writes Dick a letter of recommendation to the Yorkist leader, Duke Richard Crookback.

In book 4, "The Disguise," Dick and his outlaw companion, Lawless, disguise themselves as friars to get into Sir Daniel's Shoreby mansion to visit Joanna. They discover that the next morning Sir Daniel will give Joanna in marriage to his fellow Lancastrian magnate, Lord Shoreby, and word is sent to Ellis Duckworth, the outlaw chief. Complications arise as Lawless gets drunk and Lord Shoreby's spy, Rutter, noses around Sir Daniel's mansion, discovering telltale evidence of Dick and Lawless's intrusion. Dick kills Rutter, and security in the mansion is heightened when his body is discovered. Dick and Lawless end up in the custody of Sir Oliver, who tells Dick that he is free to leave provided the wedding of Lord Shoreby and Joanna takes place as planned. When Black Arrow archers disrupt the wedding, killing the bridegroom, Dick and Lawless are turned over to Sir Daniel. Dick claims sanctuary from Sir Daniel in the abbey church, but, in the end, yields himself and Lawless to a more impartial judge, the Lancastrian magnate, Earl Risingham. Dick gains freedom for himself and Lawless when he produces evidence to Earl Risingham that Sir Daniel is a double-dealing traitor.

Crookback makes his appearance in book 5. As Dick is leaving Shoreby he sees Crookback holding his own against seven or eight Lancastrian assailants, and assists his victory. Dick's accurate knowledge of the Lancastrian forces in Shoreby aid Crookback in winning the battle that he wages later that day. Dick is also successful as one of Crookback's commanders. Crookback knights Dick on the field of battle and, following their victory, gives him fifty horsemen to pursue Sir Daniel, who has escaped Shoreby with Joanna. Dick succeeds in rescuing Joanna, but loses his men in the process. He and Joanna make their way to Holywood where they are married. In this way Dick fulfills his initial pledge to Joanna to convey her safely to Holywood.

In the early morning of his wedding day Dick encounters a fugitive Sir Daniel trying to enter the Holywood seaport to escape to France or Burgundy. Because it is his wedding day, Dick does not want to soil his hands with Sir Daniel's blood, so he simply bars his way by challenging him either to hand-to-hand combat or alerting a Yorkist perimeter patrol. Sir Daniel retreats but is shot with the final black arrow by Ellis Duckworth who had been following him. Thereafter, Sir Richard and Lady Shelton live in Tunstall Moat House untroubled by the rest of the Wars of the Roses. Lawless is pensioned and settled in Tunstall hamlet, where he does a ''volte face'' by returning to the Franciscan order and taking the name, Brother Honestus.

Dr. Watson wonders why Holmes has not been involved in the investigation of the apparent murder of Colonel Matthias Addleton by his nephew Percy Longton, only to find that Holmes already has a telegram in his hand from the family attorney. Holmes learns that the uncle and nephew had quarreled over the sale of property belonging to the estate after the uncle had returned from a late night horse ride. Servants, aroused by a scream later that night, found Longton standing over his dying uncle with an axe in his hand. The evidence is overwhelming, but Holmes agrees to look into the matter and join forces with Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard.

In downtown Los Angeles, an earthquake strikes. Mike Roark, the new director of the city's Office of Emergency Management, insists on coming to work to help out with the crisis even though he has been on vacation with his daughter Kelly. His associate Emmit Reese notes that the quake caused no major damage, but seven utility workers are later burned to death in a storm drain at MacArthur Park.

As a precaution, Mike tries to halt the subway lines near the location of the earthquake. MTA Chairman Stan Olber opposes, believing that there is no threat to the trains. Seismologist Dr. Amy Barnes believes that a volcano may be forming beneath the city; however, she has insufficient evidence to make Mike take action.Jackson, Mick (Director). (1997). ''Volcano'' [Motion picture]. United States: 20th Century Fox.

The next morning, Amy and her assistant Rachel venture in the storm sewer to investigate. While they take samples, another earthquake strikes at a stronger pace. Rachel falls into a crack that is later engulfed by a rush of hot gases, being swallowed down under to death. A subway train derails underground, and a power outage occurs across the city. In the La Brea Tar Pits, volcanic smoke and ash billow out, followed by lava bombs that ignite several buildings and cause a fire truck to flip onto its side.

Mike helps injured firefighters out of the area. Moments later, a newly-formed underground volcano erupts from the tar pits and lava begins to flow down Wilshire Boulevard. The lava incinerates everything in its path and kills two firefighters in the downed fire truck. The Roarks become separated, as Kelly is injured when a lava bomb burns her leg.

In the Red Line metro tunnel, the passengers in the derailed subway train are rendered unconscious by severe heat and toxic gases, whilst the driver was unable to open the doors. Meanwhile, Stan leads his team through the tunnel to the derailed train to search for survivors. They manage to save everyone, and Stan finds the unconscious train driver just as lava reaches the train and begins to flow underneath it. With the train disintegrating, Stan chooses to sacrifice himself to save the driver and jumps into the lava to be able to throw him to safety. After throwing the driver to the team and saving his life, Stan is consumed and killed by the lava.

Mike, Amy, and LAPD lieutenant Ed Fox devise a plan to use concrete barriers to create a blockade, which obstructs the lava in its path. A fleet of helicopters dump water collected from the ocean to subdue the lava and volcano, forming a crust and making the plan a success. However, Amy later theorizes that the magma is still flowing underground through the Red Line subway extension and calculates that the main eruption will occur at the end of the Red Line at Cedars-Sinai Hospital. After calculating the speed of the flowing lava, Amy and Mike realize that the lava will reach the end of the Red Line in thirty minutes.

Mike devises another plan to demolish a 22-story condominium building to block the lava's path from flowing towards the hospital and the rest of the West Side. The lava reaches the dead end of the subway tunnel extension and bursts out of the ground in a massive geyser. Two men sacrifice their lives to detonate the final explosive charge by giving the all-clear to ignite the charges. Mike then spots Kelly nearby, trying to retrieve Tommy, a little boy who wandered off; the two are in the direct path of the collapsing building. Mike barely manages to save them from being crushed as the building collapses. The plan succeeds, and the lava flows directly into the ocean. The Roarks and Tommy escape from the wreckage alive. In the aftermath, hundreds are dead, thousands are injured, and billions of dollars of damage is caused.

It starts to rain, the survivors heave a sigh of relief, and the Roarks catch a ride with Amy. The film ends with a view of the volcano and a graphic that reads "Name: Mount Wilshire. Location: Los Angeles, California. Status: Active.", accompanied by the opening of the Randy Newman song "I Love L.A."

Holmes is startled by the sudden appearance during a blizzard of Andrew Joliffe, the butler of horticulturalist Sir John Doverton. During a dinner party, the Abbas Ruby disappeared from the Doverton house, as did all the blooms on Sir John's camellia bush. The police arrive at Holmes residence to arrest Joliffe, but not before Joliffe admits that he was the same Joliffe involved in the Catterdon Diamond robbery. Before departing with his prisoner, Inspector Gregson of Scotland Yard shows Holmes and Watson the empty jewel case found concealed in Joliffe's room.

Holmes and Dr. Watson arrive at their residence to discover that Daphne Ferrers is waiting to consult with Holmes about the behavior of her father, Josua Ferrers of Abbotstanding in Hampshire. Not only has her father selected the most isolated abode after retiring from his business interests in Sicily, but he has become even more reclusive and agitated due to the appearance of pictures of angels of death on his property. After a few calculations, Holmes knows that he must move quickly to prevent a tragedy, but arrives too late to save Josua Ferrers' life.

An Irish-American girl from Boston spends two hellish weeks in Northern Ireland, after she has been persuaded to help the Irish Republican Army.

Henri Verdoux had been a bank teller for thirty years before being laid off. To support his wheelchair-using wife and child, he turns to the business of marrying and murdering wealthy widows. The Couvais family becomes suspicious when Thelma Couvais withdraws all her money and disappears two weeks after marrying a man named "Varnay", whom they only know through a photograph.

As Verdoux (Chaplin) prepares to sell Thelma Couvais's home, the widowed Marie Grosnay (Isobel Elsom) visits. Verdoux sees her as another "business" opportunity and attempts to charm her, but she refuses. Over the following weeks, Verdoux has a flower girl (Barbara Slater) repeatedly send Grosnay flowers. In need of money to invest, Verdoux, as M. Floray, visits Lydia Floray (Margaret Hoffman) and convinces her he is her absent husband. She complains that his engineering job has kept him away too long. That night, Verdoux murders her for her money.

At a dinner party with his real wife and their friend the local chemist, Verdoux asks the chemist about the drug he developed to exterminate animals painlessly. The chemist explains the formula and that he had to stop working on it after the local pharmaceutical board banned it. Verdoux says he could test the drug by using it on a tramp off the street, then laughs it off as a morbid joke. Later at his furniture office he attempts to recreate the drug.

Shortly thereafter, Verdoux finds The Girl (Marilyn Nash) taking shelter from the rain in a doorway and takes her in. When he finds she was just released from prison and has nowhere to go, he prepares dinner for her with wine laced with his newly developed poison. Before drinking the wine, she thanks him for his kindness, and starts to talk about her husband who died while she was in jail. After she says her husband was a helpless invalid and that made her all the more devoted to him, Verdoux says he thinks there's cork in her wine and replaces it with a glass of unpoisoned wine. She leaves without knowing of his cynical intentions.

Verdoux makes several attempts to murder Annabella Bonheur (Martha Raye), who believes Verdoux to be Bonheur, a sea captain who is frequently away, including by strangulation while boating, and by poisoned wine, but she is impervious, repeatedly escaping death without even realizing while, at the same time, putting Verdoux himself in danger or near death. Meanwhile, Grosnay eventually softens and relents from the continual flowers from Verdoux and invites him to her residence. He convinces her to marry him, and Grosnay's friends hold a large public wedding to Verdoux's disapproval. Unexpectedly, Bonheur shows up to the wedding. Panicking, Verdoux fakes a cramp to avoid being seen and eventually deserts the wedding.

In the years leading up to Second World War, European markets collapse, with the subsequent bank failures causing Verdoux to go bankrupt. The economic crisis leads to rise of fascism across Europe. A few years later, in 1937, with the Spanish Civil War underway, The Girl, now well-dressed and chic, once again finds Verdoux on a street corner in Paris. She invites him to an elegant dinner at a high-end restaurant as a gesture of gratitude for his actions earlier. The girl has married a wealthy munitions executive she does not love to be well-off. Verdoux reveals that he has lost his family. At the restaurant, members of the Couvais family recognize Verdoux and attempt a pursuit. Verdoux delays them long enough to bid the unnamed girl farewell before letting himself be captured by the investigators.

Verdoux is exposed and convicted of murder. When he is sentenced in the courtroom, rather than expressing remorse he takes the opportunity to say that the world encourages mass killers, and that compared to the makers of modern weapons he is but an amateur. Later, before being led from his cell to the guillotine, a journalist asks him for a story with a moral, but he answers evasively, dismissing his killing of a few, for which he has been condemned, as not worse than the killing of many in war, for which others are honored, "Wars, conflict - it's all business. One murder makes a villain; millions, a hero. Numbers sanctify, my good fellow!" His last visitor before being taken to be executed is a priest (Fritz Leiber). When guards come to take him to the guillotine he is offered a cigarette, which he refuses, and a glass of rum, which he also refuses before changing his mind. He says "I've never tasted rum", downs the glass, and the priest begins reciting a prayer in Latin as the guards lead him away and the film ends.

After Alex Marshall commits suicide, his fellow University of Michigan alumni and close friends attend his funeral at the Tidalholm plantation in Beaufort, South Carolina. During the visit, everyone stays with Sarah and Harold Cooper.

The other friends; Sam Weber, a television actor; Meg Jones, once a public defender and now a real estate attorney; Michael Gold, a journalist for ''People'' magazine; former talk-radio psychologist Nick Carlton, an impotent Vietnam vet perpetually either stoned or high on drugs; and Karen Bowen, an unfulfilled writer unhappily married to Richard, a stuffy advertising executive. Also present is Chloe, Alex's younger girlfriend of four months.

While out jogging early the next morning, Harold, violating SEC rules, tells Nick that a large corporation is about to buy his small company, which will make him rich and triple the value of the stock. He told Alex, making it possible for him to buy property in the area. Harold suggests Nick use the tip to get into a new line of work. During their conversation, it is revealed that Sarah and Alex had a brief affair five years earlier, which all the friends knew about. Nick comforts Harold by saying she didn't marry Alex. Harold, Sarah, and Alex moved past it, but Sarah tells Karen her friendship with Alex was harmed by the affair.

Richard goes home the next day, but Karen stays. Harold, Nick, Michael, and Chloe drive out to see the old house that Chloe and Alex were renovating. Meanwhile, Meg tells Sarah she is fed up with failed relationships and intends to have a child on her own. Believing she is ovulating, she plans to ask Sam to be the father of her child. (She approaches Nick first, thus becoming the last to know about his war wound.) Michael, who continually flirts with Chloe, needs investors for a New York nightclub. At dinner, Sarah becomes tearful and wonders if their fervent '60s idealism was "just fashion." Later that night, Meg approaches Sam, but he declines, feeling fatherhood is too great a responsibility as he already has an estranged child. Nick shares his drugs, with varying effects.

The next day, Harold buys running shoes for everyone. Nick goes to the old house and sits on the porch for hours, missing the Michigan football game. Michael offers to sire Meg's child, alluding to their one time encounter in college.

During a half-time game of touch football, a local police officer escorts a sullen Nick back to the house after he runs a red light and becomes belligerent. Recognizing Sam, the officer offers to drop charges if he will hop into Nick's Porsche 911 the way his J.T. Lancer character does on TV. Sam tries and fails, injuring himself slightly. Nick angers Harold by accusing him of being friendly with cops. Harold chastises Nick, reminding him that this is his home and Nick's recklessness could put his reputation in danger.

Karen tells a surprised Sam that she is in love with him and wants to leave Richard. He tells her his first marriage failed because of boredom and he doesn't want her to make the same mistake. Feeling led on, Karen angrily stomps off.

Meg tells Sarah that Michael is the wrong choice. Sarah observes the warm phone conversation between her young daughter and Meg. Later, the group, confused over Alex's death, regrets losing touch with him. To everyone but Sam, it seems that Alex withdrew deliberately. Nick is particularly cynical and bitter about life, love, and friendship. Karen follows Sam outside to mollify him, and they have sex. Sarah pulls Harold aside, embracing him, telling him she has a favor to ask: "It's about Meg..." Meg goes to him and they make love, tenderly. Chloe asks Nick to spend the night in the room she shared with Alex.

The next morning, Harold announces that Nick and Chloe will stay on to renovate the old house. Karen packs to return home to Richard. Michael ditches his nightclub plans. Nick shows everyone an old column that Michael wrote about Alex declining a prestigious fellowship. As the friends prepare to depart, Michael jokingly tells the Coopers they have taken a secret vote: They are never leaving.

Gabriel Yulaw (Jet Li), once an agent of the MultiVerse Authority (MVA) which polices interdimensional travel, seeks to hunt down all variations of himself in alternate universes. By killing 124 versions of his other selves and absorbing their life energies, Yulaw believes that he will become a superpowered-godlike being called "The One".

After killing Lawless, the 123rd variation in the Anubis Universe, Yulaw is captured by MVA agents Roedecker (Delroy Lindo) and Funsch (Jason Statham) and taken back to the MVA headquarters in the Alpha Universe. After he is sentenced to life in the Stygian penal colony in the Hades Universe, Yulaw manages to escape and teleports to the Charis Universe where the last variation of himself lives.

The last known variation, Gabe Law, is a police officer working in the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. For two years, Gabe has been experiencing increases in strength, speed, and mental ability, but neither he nor his wife T.K. (Carla Gugino) can understand why. While transporting a prisoner, Gabe "feels" Yulaw's presence in time to avoid being shot. Gabe sustains an injury after falling from a wall which Yulaw scales with ease. Roedecker and Funsch arrive in time to stop Yulaw from finishing off Gabe.

Although unfamiliar with interdimensional travel, Gabe realizes that Yulaw is identical to him in every way. Rodecker and Funsch track Yulaw to the hospital where Gabe is being examined. Yulaw deters them from shooting him because if he is killed, Gabe would then be left as the One. Dressed alike and identical to each other, Gabe and Yulaw's battle confuses the other police officers. Both Gabe and Yulaw manage to escape the hospital.

The MVA agents deviate from their orders and split up. Roedecker pursues and fights Yulaw but is killed when the latter breaks his neck. Funsch catches up with Gabe and explains to him that there are multiple universes with wormholes briefly connecting them at uncontrollable times. Yulaw sneaks into Gabe's residence where T.K., believing him to be Gabe, agrees to hide him from the police. She realizes that Yulaw is deceiving her but not in time to avoid being captured. Gabe arrives, only to watch helplessly as Yulaw kills T.K. Funsch finds a guilt-ridden Gabe and both team up to find Yulaw at the next wormhole.

Gabe and Funsch arrive at an industrial plant, where they encounter and fight Yulaw. Funsch is easily defeated but Gabe and Yulaw are more evenly matched. Gabe manages to gain the upper hand but only seconds before the wormhole arrives. All three of them are sucked into it and collapse on the floor of the MVA headquarters. Yulaw is transported immediately to the Hades Universe after a failed attempt to switch places with Gabe. The MVA then prepares to send Gabe back to his own universe, where he will be arrested and put into prison for the crimes that Yulaw committed. Recalling an earlier conversation with Gabe, Funsch sends him to a different universe in which Gabe can have a normal life again from when he first met T.K.

Meanwhile, Yulaw, now on the penal colony in the Hades Universe, declares that he will still become the One and then proceeds to battle a prison inmate. The camera then pulls back to show an army of other prison inmates taking on Yulaw on top of a ziggurat.

Marie St. Clair and her beau, aspiring artist Jean Millet, plan to leave their small French village for Paris, where they will marry. On the night before their scheduled departure, Marie leaves her house for a rendezvous with Jean. Marie's stepfather locks her out of the house, telling her to find shelter elsewhere.

Jean invites Marie to his parents' home, but his father also refuses to let her stay. Jean escorts Marie to the train station, and promises to return after going home to pack. When he arrives at home, he discovers his father has died. When Jean telephones Marie at the station to tell her they must postpone their trip, she gets on the train without him.

One year later in Paris, Marie enjoys a life of luxury as the mistress of wealthy businessman Pierre Revel. A friend calls and invites Marie to a raucous party in the Latin Quarter. She gives Marie the address but can't remember whether the apartment is in the building on the right or the left. Marie enters the wrong building and is surprised to be greeted by Jean Millet, who shares a modest apartment with his mother. Marie tells Jean she would like for him to paint her portrait and gives him a card with her address.

Jean calls on Marie at her apartment to begin the painting. Marie notices he is wearing a black armband and asks why he is in mourning. Jean tells Marie his father died the night she left without him.

Marie and Jean revive their romance, and Marie distances herself from Pierre Revel. Jean finishes Marie's portrait, but instead of painting her wearing the elegant outfit she chose for the sitting, he paints her in the simple dress she wore on the night she left for Paris.

Jean proposes to Marie. Jean's mother fights with him over the proposal. Marie arrives unexpectedly outside Jean's apartment just in time to overhear Jean pacify his mother, telling her that he proposed in a moment of weakness. Jean fails to convince Marie he did not mean what she overheard, and she returns to Pierre Revel.

The following night, Jean slips a gun into his coat pocket and goes to the exclusive restaurant where Marie and Pierre are dining. Jean and Pierre get into a scuffle, and Jean is ejected from the dining room. Jean fatally shoots himself in the foyer of the restaurant.

The police carry Jean's body to his apartment. Jean's mother retrieves the gun and goes to Marie's apartment, but Marie has gone to Jean's studio. Jean's mother returns and finds Marie sobbing by Jean's body. The two women reconcile and return to the French countryside, where they open a home for orphans in a country cottage.

One morning, Marie and one of the girls in her care walk down the lane to get a pail of milk. Marie and the girl meet a group of sharecroppers who offer them a ride back in their horse-drawn wagon. At the same time, Pierre Revel and another gentleman are riding through the French countryside in a chauffeur-driven automobile. Pierre's companion asks him what had happened to Marie St. Clair. Pierre replies that he does not know. The automobile and the horse-drawn wagon pass each other, heading in opposite directions.

Reuben Feffer, a risk-adverse actuary for a large life insurance company, is celebrating his honeymoon with his new wife, Lisa Kramer, on the island of St. Barts, but catches her having sex with Claude, a French scuba instructor. Returning home to New York alone, he attempts to piece his life back together. Reuben goes to an art gallery with his friend, Sandy Lyle, where he runs into former junior high school classmate Polly Prince.

Reuben and Polly begin dating, with her introducing him to activities he once wrote off as "too risky". This includes eating at a Moroccan restaurant, which ends badly due to Reuben's irritable bowel syndrome. Luckily, Polly gives him a second chance where they end up salsa dancing and later enthusiastically having sex, with Reuben shouting "50" at the climax.

The contrast between their two personalities is a source of comedy until Lisa returns and tells him she wants to reconcile. Meanwhile, Sandy, a self-centered, former teen idol, is trying to make a comeback by having an ''E! True Hollywood Story'' filmed about his life while starring as Judas in an amateur production of ''Jesus Christ Superstar''.

Reuben is torn between the free spirited Polly and the safe and familiar Lisa. To solve this issue, he enters information about them both into a computer insurance program which measures risk, but tilts the program towards Polly. The computer tells him that, despite his numerous blunders with her, she is the least risky choice for Reuben.

Polly joins Reuben on a sailing trip where he is to inspect Leland Van Lew, a high risk client, but she is offended when she sees his risk analysis of her. She rejects his proposal to move in together, telling him that he would be better off going back to Lisa. Back home, Reuben tries talking to Polly, but to no avail. He eventually invites Lisa to Sandy's opening show, where he learns that Polly is leaving New York in a few hours.

After a speech given by his father, Irving, to Sandy about not living in the past, Reuben realizes he wants to be with Polly and not Lisa, and he rushes to her apartment to stop her from leaving. Meanwhile, Sandy fills in for Reuben for his risk analysis presentation on Leland and successfully grants him his insurance.

Reuben eventually catches up with Polly and tries to persuade her to stay. She is not convinced she should stay with him, so he eats food off the ground to prove he is capable of taking risks. Polly is finally convinced and ends up dating Reuben, but they both agree they will take their relationship step-by-step and not rush into marriage.

Reuben and Polly vacation on the same beach where he and Lisa had their honeymoon. Reuben again encounters Claude, but instead of being angry, he thanks him for showing the ugly truth about Lisa before heading nude into the water with Polly to join Leland on his new boat.

In 1975, two Bay City Police detectives, the macho David Starsky (who loves his Ford Torino and recklessly pursues minor offenders) and the easy-going Ken "Hutch" Hutchinson (who often works alongside criminals to investigate their activity) are forced to become partners as punishment for recent antics. Meanwhile, Jewish-American drug kingpin Reese Feldman and his right-hand man Kevin Jutsum develop a new type of cocaine that is untraceable in scent and taste. When one of his dealers botches an operation, Feldman kills him.

The body washes ashore a few days later, and Starsky and Hutch investigate the scene. A clue leads them to Feldman, who denies any knowledge of the crime, but his wife mentions the dealer had been dating a cheerleader. After meeting cheerleaders Stacey and Holly, the detectives are given a jacket from cheerleader Heather. Their street-wise informant Huggy Bear directs the pair to Big Earl's motorcycle bar. Disguised as "Captain America" and "Billy" from ''Easy Rider'', Starsky and Hutch learn that Big Earl is in jail, where they question him on his connection to Feldman's illicit dealings; Big Earl forces the detectives into humiliating acts in exchange for information and a packet of what they believe is cocaine. However, Captain Doby, angered by their wild interrogation, dismisses their packet as nothing more than artificial sweetener and takes them off the case.

The duo invite Stacey and Holly to Starsky's place where Starsky puts the “sweetener” in his coffee while Hutch sings "Don't Give Up on Us". The four visit a disco where Starsky, suffering the effects what proves to be Feldman's modified cocaine, loses a dance-off. Hutch takes him home and puts him to bed, then proceeds to have a threesome with Stacey and Holly.

The duo are then assaulted by an Asian dealer and his knife-wielding son, working for Feldman. After an interrogation, they deduce that Feldman stores the drugs in his garage. They go undercover as mimes at his daughter's Bat Mitzvah; confronting Feldman, Starsky shoots the lock off his garage door, inadvertently killing a pony inside that had been a gift for his daughter. Feldman exonerates them, figuring the botched operation will take heat off him, but Doby indefinitely suspends both detectives, and though Starsky defends Hutch, Doby reveals a complaint Starsky filed against Hutch weeks ago. Starsky tries to explain himself to Hutch, but an argument leads to a split in their friendship.

A bomb meant for Hutch instead injures his young neighbor Willis. Visiting him in the hospital, Starsky and Hutch reconcile and decide to shut down Feldman's drug business. Aided by Huggy Bear, who grudgingly serves as Feldman's golf caddie, they learn that Feldman plans to sell the drugs at a charity ball by hiding them in Volkswagen Karmann Ghias to be given away to other dealers.

The duo enter the party in disguise with Stacey and Holly as their dates. Deducing Feldman's plan, they shoot open a VW's trunk, revealing the large stash of cocaine. Feldman takes Hutch hostage, and Starsky, attempting to rescue him, accidentally shoots Captain Doby in the shoulder, though Hutch declares Reese was responsible. In the confusion, Feldman and his girlfriend Kitty escape with the money from the cocaine deal, leading Starsky and Hutch on a car chase through a golf course.

As Feldman and Kitty take off in his yacht, Starsky and Hutch try to ramp Starsky's Torino off a pier in pursuit, but jumps way off course and lands in the sea. The two manage to escape to safety. Meanwhile, Huggy, hiding on board, knocks Feldman out with a golf club that Feldman had accused him of losing, and takes one of Feldman's money briefcases for himself.

Celebrating the capture of Feldman, Jutsum, and Kitty, Starsky mourns the loss of his car. Huggy surprises him with another Gran Torino (bought from the original Starsky and Hutch duo, David Soul and Paul Michael Glaser). The two partners roll out on another case in their new ride.

Since the events of the previous film, Calvin Palmer, Jr. (Ice Cube) has finally settled comfortably into his role as the owner of the inner city barbershop founded by his grandfather and father. The shop's latest threat comes from overzealous developer Quentin Leroux (Harry Lennix) who opens a rival barbershop chain across the street, called "Nappy Cutz".

While Calvin attempts to figure out how to deal with the coming threat of direct competition from Quentin's flashy establishment, his barbers are having issues of their own. Isaac (Troy Garity), the lone white barber, is now the star of the shop, and begins to feel that he deserves star treatment, feeling neglected by Calvin and the other barbers. Terri (Eve) is finding success in managing her anger, but has trouble dealing with the growing mutual attraction between Ricky (Michael Ealy) and her. Dinka (Leonard Earl Howze) is still interested in Terri, but is distraught when he finds out that she loves Ricky, instead. Jimmy (Sean Patrick Thomas) has quit the shop to work for the local alderman Lalowe Brown (Robert Wisdom); his replacement, Calvin's cousin Kenard (Kenan Thompson), is fresh out of barber school and horribly inept at cutting hair. Meanwhile, the barbershop and other businesses like it are under threat from gentrification, and Calvin is offered a substantial bribe from Brown and Leroux in exchange for his support of the city council's gentrification legislation.

A subplot involves Eddie (Cedric the Entertainer) recalling his time as a young man in the late 1960s, when he first started working at the shop with Calvin's father, including the riots following the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. Also, Eddie remembers his long-lost love, Loretta (Garcelle Beauvais-Nilon). This subplot causes Eddie and Calvin to begin bonding. The film also introduces Calvin's good friend and ex-lover, Gina (Queen Latifah), who works at the beauty shop next door. The girls at the beauty shop have similar conversations and experiences as the barbers and Gina has a bitter rivalry with Eddie.

After attempting to change his own barbershop's style and decor to match those of his rival, Calvin decides to refuse the bribe money and speak out against the neighborhood's gentrification at the local city council meeting. Though Calvin gives a passionate speech about the legislation helping the region to earn money at the cost of its soul and the community, the council still unanimously votes to approve the legislation and move forward with the project. Despite a mutual attraction, Terri and Ricky agree to remain friends (but not before sharing one last kiss). Dinka still loses out on Terri, but finds love with a stylist at Gina's beauty shop. Though the gentrification project is approved, the community remains loyal to Calvin's barbershop.

In December 1941 Lt. John "Brick" Brickley (Robert Montgomery) commands a squadron of agile but small and unproven U.S. Navy PT boats based at Cavite in the Philippines. He puts on a demonstration of their maneuverability and seakeeping capabilities for the admiral in charge, who remains unimpressed. Lt. J.G. "Rusty" Ryan (John Wayne), Brick's executive officer and friend, is hot on getting into combat. He becomes disgusted at the dismissal and is writing his request for a transfer when news of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor arrives by radio bulletin.

The Japanese navy and army descend on the Philippines and wreak havoc. Bypassed by local brass, Brick's squadron is kept out of combat and marginalized to menial mail and messenger duty. Frustration, particularly with Rusty, grows and threatens to boil over. Following a devastating attack on their base their superior finally has no choice but to order them to attack a large Japanese cruiser shelling U.S troop emplacements ashore. After initially choosing Rusty to skipper the second boat on the sortie Brick discovers that his XO has blood poisoning from a previous combat wound and orders Rusty to sick bay, selecting another boat to take his place. After accusing his CO of glory hogging and resisting evacuation to a military hospital on Corregidor, Rusty arrives there hissing and spitting, only to reluctantly let in the severity of his life-threatening condition. There he begins a romance with Army nurse Sandy Davyss (Donna Reed). He meets another patient, "Ohio" (Louis Jean Heydt), who chides him to get in line. Brick's attack sinks the cruiser, after which the squadron is unleashed, achieving increasing success, though at the cost both of boats and men. Still, it is only a matter of time before the Philippines fall. Sandy attends a dinner in her honor at the PT Base, reigniting the flame between her and Rusty.

With the mounting Japanese onslaught against the doomed American defenders at Bataan and on Corregidor, the squadron is assigned to evacuate the commanding general of the Pacific Theatre Douglas MacArthur, his family, and others to Mindanao, where they will be flown to Australia. Rusty manages to make a last phone call to Sandy, now on Bataan, to explain he has been ordered out, but before they can say goodbye the connection is cut off. The small flotilla successfully carries MacArthur to his rendezvous across spans of open ocean. They then resume their attacks against the Japanese, who gradually whittle the squadron down too small to function effectively. Crews without boats are sent to fight as infantry. The final two PTs pull into a small shipyard run by crusty "Dad" Knowland (Russell Simpson) for repairs. The Japanese troops are approaching but Dad says they will have to fight to get him. He is last seen sitting on the steps of his home with a rifle across his lap and whisky jug at his feet, grimly awaiting his fate.

In a final PT-boat attack Rusty's boat is sunk, after which the surviving craft is turned over to the US Army, once again reduced to messenger duty. Brick, Ryan and two ensigns are ordered to be airlifted out on the last plane, assigned stateside to train PT crews, the small, inexpensive wood-hulled boats having proved their worth in combat. While waiting for the plane Rusty runs into Ohio. Neither knows what happened to Sandy, trapped behind on Bataan. They speculate that she might have escaped to the hills but are not optimistic. When one of the ensigns finally arrives late Ohio is forced to give up his seat on the plane and is left behind to certain death or capture.

The surviving enlisted men, led by Chief Mulcahey Ward Bond, shoulder rifles and march off to continue the resistance with the remnants of the U.S. Army and Filipino guerrillas, as expendable in the fight as their PT boats had been before them.

When the novel opens Catherine has decided she can bear it no longer not to see her boys. Openly confessing that she is breaking her promise, she announces that she would like a reunion. In the meantime Cassius Clare has remarried and has had three more children by the second Mrs Clare: eight-year-old Henry, seven-year-old Megan, and Tobias, aged three. With the help of a head nurse, a nursemaid, and a governess, Flavia Clare has been a perfect mother to all five children, never drawing a line between her own flesh and blood and the two oldest children by her husband's first marriage. But when Fabian and Guy learn about their natural mother's plans, the biological bond proves to be stronger than any care that could be given them by their stepmother, and they want to meet her. Cassius Clare, in an awkward position of wanting to please each member of his family, agrees to Catherine's wish, although right from the start it is clear to all members of the family that she will want to see her two sons on a regular basis once the first meeting has taken place.

To Cassius Clare's dismay, the two women get on astonishingly well with each other. Seemingly without a job which demands his time and attention, Clare feels neglected and soon starts pitying himself. This feeling is enhanced when, casually conversing with his sons, he realises that they do not think highly of him either. For example, asked to say which people he likes best, 13-year-old Fabian comes up with the following list: (1) Catherine, his biological mother; (2) Guy, his brother; and (3) Flavia (whom he calls "Mater"), his stepmother—with his father altogether absent from the list. Similarly, three-year-old Tobias's favourites turn out to be Catherine, Bennet, the head nurse; his sister Megan; and William, the middle-aged gardener.

It seems Cassius Clare takes these pronouncements very seriously, in spite of their being uttered by children. His only comfort is his father, a man of over 70 who has moved in with his son's family after his wife's death and who is just waiting for his own. The one other person who seems to be close to him is Alfred Ainger, the 40-year-old butler. Clare actually discusses with his father how the family might react if he committed suicide and how the natural order of things would be turned upside down if he died before his own father.

It never becomes quite clear whether this conversation is meant to be a cry for help. When people keep paying no attention whatsoever to him, Cassius Clare takes his father's pills, ten of which taken together constitute a lethal dose. Clare, however, as a sort of "compromise", takes only four tablets, thus deceiving his family, who think he has really tried to kill himself. A doctor is called for, but he cannot do anything about Clare's condition: the patient just has to wait until the effects of the drug wear off.

Cassius Clare considers his scheme to have been at least partly successful when, unexpectedly, Tobias finds the phial with the remaining tablets, and, as there are more of them left than he has claimed, Clare's "deceit" is discovered. Everybody, including the servants, are embarrassed that the head of the family is both weak and a liar, and after Clare's speedy recovery he is appalled to find out that he is still not given the amount of love and attention he thinks he is entitled.

When, obviously only a few days later, Ainger finds him lying on the sofa in very much the same manner as during his faked suicide attempt, the butler does not do anything about it: he neither calls the doctor, nor does he inform Flavia about her husband's state. When the family eventually do start worrying about Clare's health the latter is already dead: now it turns out that, at the age of 52, he has had a heart attack (or something like that), that his life could have been saved but that he has just been left dying without any help.

The remaining family members now realise that far-reaching changes will have to be made. Although they do not blame each other or themselves for Clare's death, they all agree that the two women could not possibly go on living under the same roof and raising their five children together. Catherine is prepared to leave the house for good, but on condition that she can take her two sons with her if they wish to go. When Catherine puts the question to them, it is Fabian who spontaneously decides to go with his biological mother. Guy, on the other hand, would not want to leave "Mater", but his relationship to his older brother proves to be the stronger, and so he makes up his mind to go with him.

The story describes a few days in the life of a five-year-old named Jenny, her father, Martin, and his boyfriend Eric who lives with them. Jenny's mother Karen lives nearby and often visits the household.

The book covers such small adventures as * Jenny, Eric and Martin going to the laundrette together * Jenny, Martin and Karen preparing a surprise birthday party for Eric * Eric and Martin having a small quarrel and making up * A woman expressing homophobic disgust when passing the family in the street. This is the subject of a later discussion between Eric and Jenny.

Forest Row in the Weald is the scene of a harpoon murder, and a young police inspector, Stanley Hopkins, asks Holmes, whom he admires, for help. Holmes has already determined that it would take a great deal of strength and skill to run a man through with a harpoon and embed it in the wall behind him.

Peter Carey, the 50-year-old victim and former master of the ''Sea Unicorn'' of Dundee, who lived with his wife and daughter, had a reputation for being violent. Carey did not sleep in the family house, but in a small cottage that he built some distance from the house, whose interior he had decorated to look like a sailor's cabin on a ship. This is where he was found harpooned. Hopkins could find no footprints or other physical evidence. However, a tobacco pouch made of sealskin and with the initials "P.C." was found at the scene, which was full of strong ship's tobacco. This is rather unusual, as Peter Carey—or "Black Peter" as people called him—seldom smoked. Indeed, Hopkins found no pipe in the cabin. Carey was found fully dressed, suggesting that he was expecting a visitor, and there was some rum laid out along with two dirty glasses. There were brandy and whisky, too, but neither had been touched. There was also a knife in its sheath at Carey's feet; Mrs. Carey has identified it as her husband's. A little notebook was also found at the scene. It contains the initials J. H. N. and the year 1883. It also says C. P. R. on the second page, which Holmes reckons stands for Canadian Pacific Railway. The first set of initials is likely a stockbroker's, as the little book is full of what appears to be stock exchange information.

Holmes decides to accompany Hopkins to Forest Row, and upon arrival, Hopkins observes that someone has tried to break into Carey's cabin, but failed. After examining the inside of the cabin, Holmes deduces from the lack of dust that something has been taken from a shelf, even though the burglar did not get in. The stolen item was a book, or possibly a box. Holmes believes that the burglar will likely try again, this time bringing a more useful tool for the job. So, Holmes, Dr. Watson, and Hopkins all lie in wait for the burglar that night, and they are not disappointed. Along he comes, he breaks into the cabin, and goes through one of Carey's old logbooks, cursing when he finds that the information that he wants is missing, having been torn out of the book. As he is leaving the cabin, Hopkins moves in and arrests him.

He is John Hopley Neligan—which matches the initials in the notebook—the son of a long-vanished, failed banker. He claims he was looking at Carey's logs to test a theory of his. His father disappeared with a box full of securities after his bank failed. He took them on a yacht bound for Norway. He believes that his father's boat may have been driven north on the North Sea by bad weather, and met the ''Sea Unicorn'', captained by Carey. He believes that Carey knew something about his father's disappearance, and that possibly his father was murdered by the man who has now himself become a murder victim as he has traced some of his father's long lost securities back to Carey. Hopkins takes Neligan off to the station, even though Neligan swears that he has nothing to do with the murder. Holmes believes this to be true, because Neligan is a slight, anemic thin man, hardly capable of running a man through with a harpoon.

Holmes saves Neligan from the noose by finding the true killer in a most unusual way. He advertises for a harpooner, posing as a sea captain named Basil. He gets three applicants at 221B Baker Street for the job, and one of them is indeed Peter Carey's killer, as confirmed by his name, Patrick Cairns, and the fact that Holmes had established that he was once Carey's shipmate. Holmes also felt sure that a murderer would want to leave the country for a while. Holmes handcuffs the unaware Cairns after which Cairns confesses. While he freely admits to killing Carey, he furiously denies that it was murder, claiming self-defence. He was actually at Carey's cabin to extort hush money from him. Neligan's father had indeed come aboard the ''Sea Unicorn'' with his tin box of securities, and Carey had murdered him by throwing him overboard while he believed no-one was looking, though Cairns had witnessed the event. While Carey initially had agreed to the payoff, when Cairns came to collect, things were different. The two drank together, during which Carey's mood darkened. When Carey reached for his knife, which Cairns viewed as a threat, he took action. Cairns then examined the box of securities, but finding them impossible for him to sell, escaped, leaving ''his'' tobacco pouch on the table.

The rum was another clue. Holmes was sure that it, and the fact that the brandy and whiskey had been left alone, were sure signs that the killer was a seaman. Neligan is released and the securities returned to him, although the ones that Carey sold cannot be recovered.

The first portion of the film is set on November 21, 1963 (the day before President John F. Kennedy was assassinated). Birdlace and three of his Marine buddies have arrived in San Francisco for twenty-four hours, before shipping off to Okinawa, and are planning on attending a "dogfight" (a party where Marines compete to bring the ugliest date, unbeknownst to the girls they bring) later that evening. They separate into the city to attempt to find dates. After a few women reject his advances, Birdlace ducks into a coffee shop, where he encounters Rose, a waitress, on her break, practicing her guitar. She is not particularly "ugly", but rather plain, shy and awkward. Birdlace attempts to charm her, complimenting her on her guitar playing, and inviting her to a party. She is suspicious of his motives, but decides to accept his invitation.

While walking to the bar where the party is to be held, Birdlace begins to have second thoughts about playing such a cruel trick on Rose after realizing she's not ugly enough to compete, and attempts to talk her out of going in. However they encounter one of Birdlace's buddies and his "date" in front of the bar, and so he has no choice but to proceed with Rose into the dogfight. Birdlace proceeds to get drunk, presumably feeling guilty. Shortly after, Rose convinces Birdlace to dance with her, though at first he resists because he knows that's where the dates get judged. The alcohol and dancing eventually make Rose feel dizzy, and she rushes off and ends up getting sick in the rest room. Rose does not win the dogfight; Marcie, the date of Birdlace's friend Berzin, is the winner. In the ladies' room, it is revealed that Marcie is actually a prostitute whom Berzin has hired (which is a violation of the rules of the dogfight) and clues Rose in to the true nature of the party. Rose is devastated, tears into Birdlace, and then storms off. Birdlace immediately regrets having treated Rose so cruelly, and chases after her. He convinces her to let him buy her dinner, in an attempt to make it up to her.

After dinner, the two walk to a club where Rose hopes to perform soon, and then to an arcade. Birdlace is surprised to find himself enjoying spending time with Rose, so much so that he forgets that he was to have met up with his three buddies at a tattoo parlor where they were to get matching tattoos to solidify their friendship. Rose tells Birdlace about her dream to become a folk singer, and he reveals to her that he will be shipping off to Okinawa the following day, and from there on to "a little country called Vietnam," he hopes. She offers to write to him, and asks if he will write back. Birdlace walks Rose home, and they share an awkward moment on her doorstep, before she hesitantly invites him in. They attempt to talk, but end up engaged in a self-conscious yet endearing sexual encounter.

As he is leaving at dawn, Rose gives him her address and asks him to write. Birdlace meets up with his buddies, where they board their bus. Birdlace makes up a story that he did not show up because he spent the night with the beautiful wife of an officer. Berzin later shares with Birdlace that he saw him with Rose; Birdlace counters that he is aware that Berzin's "date", Marcie, was actually a prostitute. They agree to keep one-another's secrets, as Birdlace tears up Rose's address and throws it out the window of the bus.

Rose is then shown with her mother, weeping and watching coverage of President Kennedy's assassination on TV. The film then cuts to 1966, where Birdlace and his three friends are shown at Chu Lai, South Vietnam. They are playing cards and trying to pass time, when they are suddenly mortared. The scene descends to chaos. Birdlace is wounded in the leg, Berzin and Oakie drag him away and tell him that Benjamin is dead, then another mortar round hits.

Birdlace is then shown getting off of a Greyhound bus in San Francisco in 1967. Discharged from the Marines, he is walking with a limp, and it is suggested that his three friends were all killed in combat. He is taken aback by how much things have changed since he was last there, with hippies and flower children everywhere. He walks to the neighborhood where Rose's coffee shop is, and goes to a bar across the street to have a drink. The bartender tells him that Rose's mother has turned the coffee shop over to Rose. He then makes his way across the street and into the coffee shop. Rose, not having heard from him in three years, is surprised to see him, and can only say "hi". She walks over to him and they embrace as the film ends.

In 1887 Transylvania, Dr. Victor Frankenstein, aided by his assistant Igor and Count Dracula, creates a monster. Dracula kills Frankenstein and as an angry mob storms the Castle, the monster flees to a windmill with Frankenstein's body. The mob burns down the windmill, seemingly killing the monster. A year later, monster hunter Gabriel Van Helsing travels to Notre-Dame de Paris and kills Mr. Hyde after a brawl. Helsing pursues evil on behalf of the Holy Order, which has protected mankind "from time immemorial". Van Helsing, who remembers nothing before he was found crawling up the steps of a church, hopes to earn pardon for his forgotten sins and regain his memory.

At the Order's Vatican City headquarters, Van Helsing is tasked with traveling to Transylvania, destroying Dracula and protecting Anna and Velkan, the last of an ancient Romanian family, the Valeriouses. Their ancestor vowed that his descendants would kill Dracula or spend eternity in Purgatory. In Transylvania, Anna and Velkan attempt to kill a werewolf controlled by Dracula, but it falls with Velkan into a deep river gorge.

Van Helsing, along with Carl, a friar and weapons inventor, arrive at a village and join Anna's fight with Dracula's brides – Verona, Marishka and Aleera, slaying Marishka in the process. That night, Velkan visits Anna to warn her of Dracula's plans but transforms into a werewolf and escapes. Van Helsing and Anna pursue Velkan to Frankenstein's castle. They stumble upon Dracula's plan to duplicate Frankenstein's experiments to give life to thousands of his undead children, using Velkan as a conduit.

During the fray, Dracula confronts Van Helsing, whom he regards as an ancient rival. Dracula's spawn come to life before dying, due to lacking Frankenstein's original formula. Van Helsing and Anna escape and stumble upon Frankenstein's monster at the windmill, who reveals that he's the key to Frankenstein's machine to give life to Dracula's brood. Eavesdropping on their discussion, Velkan escapes with this new information.

In Anna's castle, Carl discovers a hidden painting of two rival knights. It comes to life, revealing the knights as a vampire and a werewolf in battle. While attempting to bring the monster to Rome, Van Helsing and his crew are ambushed by the brides and Velkan, near Budapest. Verona and Velkan are killed, but Van Helsing is bitten. Aleera kidnaps Anna and offers to trade her for the monster at a masquerade ball. Van Helsing locks the monster in a crypt, but the undead retrieve him for Dracula. Van Helsing and Carl rescue Anna and escape from the masquerade guests, revealed to be vampires.

At Anna's castle, Carl explains that Dracula is the son of Valerious the Elder. When he was killed in 1462, Dracula made a pact with the Devil and lived again. Valerious was told to kill Dracula and gain salvation for his entire family. Unable to kill his son, he imprisoned him in an icy fortress. A fragment the Cardinal gave Van Helsing opens a path to Dracula's castle.

They find the monster, who reveals that Dracula possesses a cure for lycanthropy, because only a werewolf can kill him. Van Helsing, fighting the curse, sends Anna and Carl to retrieve the cure, killing Igor and Aleera in the process. Van Helsing attempts to free the monster but is struck by lightning, bringing Dracula's children to life. Dracula and Van Helsing turn into their bestial forms and battle. Dracula reveals that it was Van Helsing who killed him and offers to restore his memory. Van Helsing refuses and kills Dracula, triggering his brood's deaths. Anna injects the cure as Van Helsing kills her, howling in grief as he reverts to human.

Van Helsing and Carl burn Anna's body on a cliff overlooking the sea. The monster departs by raft, and Van Helsing sees Anna's spirit reuniting with her family in Heaven. Van Helsing and Carl ride off into the sunset.

Andrew Carr is employed as a technician in the Empire's Mapping and Exploration survey of Cottman IV, known locally as Darkover. His survey plane encounters a storm over the mountains and crashes. Carr survives through the intervention of a diaphanous figure that he initially believes to be a ghost. She tells him her name is Callista, a Keeper, and she is communicating with him through the Overworld. Carr believes none of this, but follows her directions to shelter.

Meanwhile, on the road to Armida, Damon Ridenow discusses recent violent conflicts with a native species called the cat-men with his guardsmen. Ridenow is a matrix technician who was recently dismissed by Leonie Hastur, Keeper of Arilinn, on the grounds that he is "too sensitive."

During the journey, the group is attacked by an unseen entity. Only Damon Ridenow survives. He arrives at Armida to find that it, too, has been attacked, and Callista Lanart was kidnapped. Her twin, Ellemir Lanart, assures him Callista is alive because she can feel her sister's telepathic presence, though they cannot communicate directly.

Damon ventures into the Overworld to seek Callista, but finds only a "great darkness" and a vaguely evil presence. Meanwhile, Andrew Carr arrives at the door seeking shelter and assistance. He mistakes Ellemir for Callista. After introductions and food, Andrew describes his experiences. Damon concludes Callista is being held by the cat-men.

Ellemir's father, Esteban Lanart, Lord Alton, arrives with his guard. His party has also been attacked by an invisible enemy, and Lord Alton was gravely wounded. Damon uses his laran abilities to save one of the wounded guards, but can do nothing for Lord Alton, who is permanently paralyzed.

The next day, Lord Alton is informed of the situation, and Damon Ridenow tells him he wants to marry Ellemir. Alton approves Damon's suit, but disapproves of Andrew Carr's interest in Callista because she is a Keeper.

Damon says he will attempt to rescue Callista. Lord Alton suggests he use his Alton gift of forced rapport so that he can provide Damon with his own superior sword skills, which Damon lacks. After testing this theory and mounting a small matrix jewel in the hilt of his sword, Damon leaves for the darkening lands and the Caves of Corresanti. They engage the cat-men in several small skirmishes along the way.

At Armida, Andrew Carr has learned how to enter the Overworld, and locates Callista. Desperate to help her, he somehow manages to teleport himself into the caves. Andrew and Callista make their way through the caves with Damon and face off against the Great Cat, a larger cat with a powerful matrix jewel. The matrix is destroyed, and everyone returns to Armida.

Callista, the Keeper who is sworn to lifelong virginity, contemplates giving up her vows to be with Andrew.

In 1996, psychopathic career criminal Simon Phoenix kidnaps a busload of hostages and takes refuge in an abandoned building. LAPD Sergeant John Spartan, nicknamed "The Demolition Man" for the large amounts of collateral damage he often causes in apprehending suspects, mounts an unauthorized assault to capture Phoenix. When a thermal scan of the area reveals no trace of the hostages, he raids the building and accosts Phoenix, who sets off explosives to destroy it. The hostages' corpses are later found in the rubble, and Phoenix claims that Spartan knew about them and attacked anyway. Both men are sentenced to lengthy terms in the city's new "California Cryo-Penitentiary", a prison in which convicts are cryogenically frozen and exposed to subliminal rehabilitation techniques.

In 2032, the city of San Angeles – a megalopolis formed from the merger of Los Angeles, San Diego, and Santa Barbara – is a seemingly peaceful utopia designed and run by Dr. Raymond Cocteau. Phoenix is thawed for a parole hearing and escapes from the cryo-prison by saying a secret password, without knowing how he had learned it. He subsequently murders his guards and the warden, making his way into the city where he easily overpowers and kills several police officers who have never been trained to confront violent criminals. Lieutenant Lenina Huxley, an idealistic officer who is fascinated with 20th-century culture, learns about Spartan's career from veteran officer Zachary Lamb, who suggests the best chance to stop Phoenix is to enlist an officer with the experience and mindset needed to anticipate his actions. Despite her superiors' strong disagreement, Huxley obtains permission to parole Spartan and reinstate him to active duty. Spartan finds life in San Angeles to be sterile and oppressive, since all types of behavior deemed immoral or unhealthy, such as sports, alcohol, swearing, eating meat and having sex have been declared illegal. Conversely, many members of the police department and the public view Spartan as savage and uncivilized, while Huxley idolizes him.

Anticipating that Phoenix will attempt to secure firearms, Spartan leads Huxley to a museum and finds Phoenix looting an exhibit of weapons. To Spartan's surprise, Phoenix is even deadlier than before, exhibiting expert-level proficiency in an extensive range of skills including martial arts and computer hacking. Phoenix escapes and holds Cocteau at gunpoint, but is unable to kill him, as Cocteau had implanted a command in his rehabilitation program to prevent him from doing so. Cocteau instead orders Phoenix to kill Edgar Friendly, the leader of a resistance group called the Scraps who refuse to conform to Cocteau's moral ideals and who live in the underground ruins of old Los Angeles.

Spartan and Huxley witness this exchange on security cameras and review the cryo-prison records. They discover that Phoenix's rehabilitation program was tailored by Cocteau to make him even more dangerous than he was in 1996; he was bestowed skills including martial arts, computer hacking, knowledge of torture techniques, and murderous impulses. On the contrary, Spartan's program taught him to knit and sew. As the pair deduce that Friendly is being targeted for murder, Phoenix persuades Cocteau to release additional cryo-prisoners for his gang and leads them underground to pursue Friendly. Having previously encountered the Scraps during a food raid at a restaurant, Spartan and Huxley venture underground and save Friendly from an assassination attempt by Phoenix. Phoenix taunts Spartan with the revelation that he had framed Spartan for the deaths of the 1996 hostages, who were already dead ''before'' the building exploded, which means that Spartan was cryo-frozen for having done nothing at all. Phoenix escapes to the cryo-prison, and Spartan pursues him with weapons provided by the Scraps.

Unable to harm Cocteau, Phoenix has a gang member kill him instead and begins thawing out the cryo-prison's most dangerous convicts. Spartan incapacitates Huxley for her safety and fights Phoenix, breaking a vial of a cryogenic chemical that rapidly freezes Phoenix's body solid. Spartan kicks his head off, shattering it, and escapes as the uncontrolled quick-freezing effect triggers an explosion that destroys the cryo-prison. The police fear that the loss of Cocteau and the cryo-prison will end society as they know it, but Spartan suggests that they and the Scraps cooperate to combine the best aspects of order and personal freedom. He kisses Huxley and they leave together.

''Haré+Guu'' opens with a pregnant Weda leaving her home in an unnamed city.

It then flashes forward to the present where Haré is a typical boy living in an unnamed village in an unidentified jungle with his lazy mother Weda. On his way back from his errand of fetching bananas, a large dark being overtakes him. Scared, he runs back to the house where his mom has decided to have a new guest, a cute girl named Guu.

The next morning, Haré wakes up to find Guu a completely different person who is no longer cute, social, or energetic. No one seems to notice the change. Guu mostly remains quiet and ignorant of things while Haré has to show her around and explain things. Haré notices Guu likes to eat things. She swallows Haré but, instead of dying, he is taken to another world in Guu's stomach. There he meets Seiichi and Tomoyo, a couple who has accepted their fate in Guu's stomach. After Guu spits Haré out, she accompanies him to school where she meets all of Haré's schoolmates (whom she swallows and spits back out) and the village elder (whose chest hair she rips out).

The school receives a new doctor named Dr. Clive who came from the city and turns out to be Haré's long-lost dad. Most of the other characters start developing personalities and eccentricities of their own. Guu goes from being silent to being extremely cynical and sarcastic towards Haré and the others. She starts being more antagonistic towards Haré. Guu starts causing shenanigans around the jungle that are meant to keep her amused (like holding a contest for Weda). She adds another resident to her stomach world, Miss Hiroko Yamada, and shows an adult form that she uses to defend Haré. Another person who appears is Dama, a hairdresser from the next village over who obsesses over her long-lost husband with white hair that she mistakes Dr. Clive for.

Bel and Asio, two servants who worked for Weda in her past life, visit the jungle. They claim that they are on vacation and wanted to see their old master. They relieve Haré of his chores around the house and Haré enjoys having to do less work.

Guu causes more disasters around the jungle such as creating a blizzard and bringing down the wrath of Dama upon Clive. Clive finally dyes his hair black to have Dama leave him alone. Haré finds out from Asio the circumstances behind Weda leaving her past life and why Weda is living in they jungle. Weda eventually forces Bel and Asio to tell the actual reason they came to the jungle: to bring Weda and Haré back to the city since her father had recently died. Weda refuses at first, but relents much to Haré's chagrin.

Haré, Weda, Guu, Bel, and Asio make it to the city where they are met by Robert, a personal bodyguard hired to protect Haré and Weda. Robert initially dislikes Weda. When Haré and Guu are held hostage by a bank robber, Weda and Robert team up to proficiently take out the robber, safely returning Haré and Guu. Haré easily adjusts to luxurious life in the mansion while Weda is bored.

Clive comes to the city where he finally is able to convey his feelings for Weda, ensuring them to be a couple whenever Weda returns. Guu causes more hijinks by swallowing up all the servants in a game of tag. While Haré is running away, he runs into his long-lost grandmother Sharon. He then plans to have Weda and Sharon make up. Try as he might, all seemed lost as Weda was bored enough to want to return to the jungle much to Bel and Asio's chagrin. Fortunately, Haré manages to knock some sense into her. Just as Weda was about to visit her mom, Sharon rides up and the two make up.

Haré, Weda, and Guu are back in the jungle with Clive now living permanently with Haré. Haré meets the new teacher while Lazy-Sensei was sick named Miss Yumi. Her temperament has prevented her from getting a boyfriend. She ends up falling for Haré and harassing him for the next two arcs despite their age difference. Meanwhile, the village elder's chest hair gets so out of control he is swallowed by it enough for him to disappears for the rest of the arc.

Weda announces she's pregnant and Clive decides that it is time to marry. After they marry, Haré starts hating the idea of another sibling as he will be the one to take care of the child due to his parents' laziness. Guu takes him back to the past where he inadvertently ran into Weda. It turns out she is lazy due to the advice he gave her to be more honest with herself. He makes up a fake name while meeting Weda which Weda uses in the present to call her second child.

The bank robber returns to exact his revenge on Weda for foiling him. When it looked like he was about to win, Dama shows up at the last minute to fight the bank robber. Dama ends up winning and the two eventually get married.

Bel misses Weda and sends out a video letter to the jungle. Weda agrees to come back to the city to visit Bel and her mom. She drags Haré and Guu back with her. Haré becomes bored, so Weda enrolls him in school where he meets and instantly falls in love with Rita. Unfortunately, it works against Haré because the school bullies get jealous of the new friendship he has formed with Rita; they bully him. Haré finds out that he is nothing special to Rita because she likes to feel superior by being nice to everyone and not making any enemies. She is only looking out for her own self interests. Eventually, Rita sees Haré for the friend he is and learns to care about others.

Weda resolves things at home, which allows Haré and Guu to return to the jungle. The village elder, who is basically a hairball now, is found while Haré gets help with Ame thanks to Adult Guu and the three residents in Guu's stomach. As life seems to go back to normal for Haré (as normal as life with Guu can be), assassins hired by Weda's siblings show up to kill her because of a new discovery that Weda was included in a later version of her father's will, entitling her to a part of the family fortune. Dama returns as one of the assassins hired to kill Weda, but Robert manages to talk her into going back to life with her husband. After seven attempts onher life, Weda resolves to go to the city to bring the fight to her siblings.

Weda goes to the city to settle things, and she brings all the kids from the jungle with her. They first run into trouble when two more assassins, Alex and Shirly, cause their plane to crash on an island. The two beg for their lives in front of Robert. On the island, they meet a muscle man named QP who becomes a rival to Robert and a bodyguard for Weda. When they get off the island they return to Weda's family's mansion where everyone makes plans to go to school.

At school, Haré reunites with Rita who has matured very much. So has Yohan who still has anger and hatred towards Haré. Toposte takes over his class and becomes almost a god to the other students. He was just being controlled by his chest hair and is saved when Haré removes it. Later, Guu gets a stomachache and Haré goes into her stomach to find the problem. He finds himself back in the RPG world where he discovers Guu has eaten the Baka Couple and Grandma Dama. She also ate Dama's sister Tama who tells them the whole story behind her and her sister. Upon returning, Haré meets his aunt, uncle, and cousin. Weda makes up with her siblings but Haré and his cousin, Alva, still fight.

Guu is kidnapped by Haré and Guu — from a half year in the future — who came to find Dama and her sister. Haré, Guu, and their future counterparts find the two, but it is too late. They had already merged and become a giant monster, seeking to destroy the world. Haré and Guu are able to stop the monster, and Dama makes up with her sister. The story arc ends with everyone returning to the jungle. This time, Wigle stays in the city and Alva goes with everyone.

Weda returns everyone to the jungle. This time, they are bringing Haré's cousin Alva with them. After some heartfelt goodbyes with their classmates, the kids of the jungle return home except for Wigle who stays to attend college. At first returning, Yumi-sensei is there waiting to have a passionate reunion with Toposte, who hides from her. It gets to the point where Toposte is not safe anywhere, so he fakes an illness to keep her away. But, because Yumi-sensei offered her life for his safety, Toposte realized how she cared for him and accepted and returned her love.

Alva isn't used to the jungle so he sometimes gets lost and has to be returned by a very large pokute. Later, Haré and Guu decide to find where pokutes come from, learning that they reside in a dark cave deep in the jungle where they are also able to talk. They learn of the pokutes' relation with humans.

Gupta wants to reveal his love for Ravenna but he can't get up the courage, so Guu goes with him for a practice date. This, of course, does not help at all. Then, with the urge to try to get Haré to love her, Mari takes him around to find how love really is, where they learn the true story behind the baka couple.

The story, written by Lance Williams, was never finalized but centered around "Ipso Facto", a charming elliptical robot, and the heroine, a young female pilot nicknamed "T-Square". The story was set at some time in the distant future when a malfunctioning computer, "The Works", triggered a devastating last World War but then, realizing what it had done, set out to repopulate the planet entirely with robots. T-Square, who worked and lived in a nearby asteroid belt, vowed to journey to Earth and fight to make it safe for the return of her fellow space-faring humanity. Many staff-members contributed designs and modeled characters and sets under the coordination of art director Bil Maher who created blueprint-style designs for T-Square and many of the 25 robots called for by the script. Dick Lundin, legendary for his exhaustive and elaborate creations, designed and animated a huge mining ship and the gigantic robot "Ant" which was to be one of the villains in control of the Earth.

From the Mountains of Mist to Tear

Rand al'Thor, having been declared the Dragon Reborn by Moiraine Damodred, secretly goes to Tear to prove himself. Along the way he is hunted by Darkhounds and Darkfriends. After leaving in secret, Moiraine, Lan Mandragoran, the Ogier Loial, and Perrin Aybara follow always one step behind. Rand leaves in his trail a pattern of weddings and strange events. Perrin comes across an Aiel warrior that was captured and in a cage. He frees him, earning a friendship with Gaul, a Stone Dog, who will accompany Perrin on his travels. This event is witnessed by a hunter of the horn, Zarine Bashere (alias Faile), who joins the party as well.

Min reports to the Amyrlin Seat, while Moiraine, Lan, Loial, Zarine and Perrin follow Rand. En route they battle Darkhounds, and discover that the Forsaken Sammael rules in Illian.

From Tar Valon to Tear

Mat Cauthon is taken to Tar Valon by Verin Mathwin, Nynaeve al'Meara, Egwene al'Vere, Elayne Trakand, and Hurin. Immediately after arrival in Tar Valon, Hurin departs to report to King Easar in Shienar. The Amyrlin Seat, Siuan Sanche, sets Nynaeve, Egwene, and later Elayne, to hunting down the Black Ajah, and therefore to Tear.

In the White Tower, through the use of a ''sa'angreal'' by Aes Sedai, Mat is healed of the corruptive influence of the ruby dagger of Shadar Logoth. Once healed Mat defeats Galad Damodred and Gawyn Trakand in a practice sword battle, using a quarterstaff. This wins him enough money to gamble with and purchase passage away from Tar Valon; at which point he is approached by Nynaeve, Egwene and Elayne to deliver a letter to her mother Queen Morgase. Mat reunites with Thom Merrilin, and they together travel to Andor, where Mat delivers the letter and learns of a plot by Queen Morgase's lover, Lord Gaebril, to murder Elayne. To prevent that murder, Mat pursues the killers to Tear.

Climax in the Stone of Tear

In Tear, Nynaeve, Egwene, and Elayne are betrayed by Juilin Sandar (under the influence of Liandrin) to the Black Ajah and imprisoned in the Stone of Tear, whence they are rescued by Mat and a repentant Juilin. Faile falls into a trap meant for Moiraine, and Perrin risks his life to rescue her. Rand and the Forsaken Be'lal duel in the Stone of Tear, until Moiraine kills Be'lal with balefire. Ba'alzamon disables Moiraine and attacks Rand, whereupon Rand takes Callandor (a more powerful ''sa'angreal''), and apparently kills Ba'alzamon; but Moiraine argues that the Dark One, having no tangible body, is not represented by the dead man. Egwene, remembering a prophecy, instead deduces that the corpse is possibly Ishamael, Chief among the Forsaken. The Aiel in Tear conquer the Stone in loyalty to Rand.

In Rhuidean, worried by news that Aiel from other clans join the cause of his enemy Couladin, Rand al’Thor confers with the Clan Chiefs who have recognised him as the Car’a’carn – Chief of Chiefs – on how to win over the four remaining Clans. Darkhounds attack and he kills them with balefire, a powerful weave that burns a person's thread backwards through the Pattern, undoing his past actions for a short time prior to being consumed by balefire. Egwene al'Vere continues to chafe under the instruction of Aiel Wise Ones, eager to learn faster than they think is wise, and Moiraine Damodred grows increasingly desperate to find her way into Rand’s circle of trust.

In Tanchico, Nynaeve and Elayne set out for the White Tower -- only to receive news that it has suffered a schism. Elaida, a Red sister and former advisor to Queen Morgase Trakand, has deposed and replaced the Former Amyrlin Seat and ally Siuan Sanche.

Unwilling to accept an outsider as their prophesied hero, the Shaido and their allies follow Couladin across the Dragonwall to conquer the “treekillers” and wetlanders. Rand leads the seven Aiel Clans who have recognised him in pursuit and is followed in turn by the four of the undecided Aiel Clans. Along the way they are ambushed by Darkfriends and Shadowspawn but arrive in time to save the city of Cairhien and defeat the Shaido, in part thanks to the memories of long dead generals the Eelfinn have placed in Matrim Cauthon’s mind. Couladin is killed in single combat by Mat, while Rand is attacked from afar by either Rahvin or Sammael during the course of the battle.

As Rand establishes his control of Cairhien, a nation torn apart by scheming and war, he learns that the Forsaken Rahvin has deposed Queen Morgase who is presumed dead. Furious at himself for not acting sooner, Rand prepares to travel to Andor personally and kill Rahvin in revenge, but is delayed by Moiraine. Lanfear attacks Rand who is unwilling to fight back. Rand is saved by the sacrifice of Moirane who foresaw Lanfear’s attack.

Meanwhile Nynaeve and Elayne seek out the rebel Aes Sedai accompanied by Thom and Juilin, discovering the forkroot herb that incapacitates channelers and clashing again with the forsaken Moghedien, eventually capturing her in the world of dreams.

Rand Skims to Caemlyn, where his forces enter a trap laid by Rahvin. Lightning bolts triggered by Rahvin kill Mat, Asmodean and Aviendha, which causes Rand to recklessly attack the Forsaken. His battle with Rahvin leads him into the world of dreams, where with the assistance of Nynaeve he destroys Rahvin with Balefire. Upon returning to the waking world, he discovers that his balefire undid Rahvin's killings of Mat, Aviendha and Asmodean. Before waking Nynaeve realises Moghedien is posing as a refugee in the rebel Aes Sedai camp and doses her with forkroot, allowing her to be leashed in the real world with a ter'angreal crafted by Elayne.

Rand al'Thor has just claimed the crystal sword ''Callandor'' to prove himself the Dragon Reborn. He is approached by Lanfear, who tells him of the Forsaken's plans. However, the fortress known as the Stone of Tear is stormed by Trollocs and Fades, sent by another Forsaken (Sammael), while a third, Semirhage, sends her followers into the Stone, to oppose Sammael's forces. In defense, Rand uses ''Callandor'' to create a lightning storm killing all the Trollocs and Fades.

Rand then decides that he must travel to the Aiel Waste, to be acknowledged as the Aiel's prophesied leader. Before leaving, Rand, Mat Cauthon, and Moiraine Damodred visit a ''ter'angreal'' that lets them talk to a mysterious snakelike race called the Aelfinn, who seemingly know the answer to any question. Mat learns from them that he must go to Rhuidean or die and also that he is destined to marry someone called "the Daughter of the Nine Moons". Egwene al'Vere and the Aiel Aviendha are also summoned to the Aiel Waste, Egwene to learn Dreamwalking and Aviendha to become a Wise One. Thus, Rand, Mat, Moiraine, Egwene, and Aviendha all travel to the Aiel Waste.

Other characters in the Stone of Tear also learn that they must travel elsewhere. Perrin Aybara hears of trouble in The Two Rivers, his native region, and returns thereto, accompanied by Faile Bashere and Loial. Elayne Trakand, Nynaeve al'Meara, and Thom Merrilin depart to Tarabon to hunt the Black Ajah. Finally, Min Farshaw arrives in Tar Valon to report to the Amyrlin Siuan Sanche. Thus, ''The Shadow Rising'' follows four groups of characters in four plotlines.

Aiel Waste

Rand uses a portal stone to transport Mat, Egwene, Moiraine, and the Aiel from the Stone of Tear to the Aiel Waste, and are met by Taardad and Shaido Aiel.

Moiraine, Aviendha, Mat, and Rand enter the legendary, forbidden city of the waste, Rhuidean; where each enters a ''ter'angreal.''

While inside his ''ter'angreal'', Rand relives portions of his paternal ancestors lives (before and after the Breaking), and discovers the Aiel were once pacifists serving the Aes Sedai. Adherence to pacifism still lives on in the Tinkers, while others known as the 'Jenn Aiel', transported a large collection of ''angreal'', ''sa'angreal'', and ''ter'angreal'' to Rhuidean. Rand emerges from the ''ter'angreal'' with dragon markings on both arms; proof that he is the ''Car'a'carn'': the 'Chief of Chiefs' of the Aiel.

Mat enters his ''ter'angreal'' (similar to the one he previously entered in Tear) seeking more answers from the 'Aelfinn'. Instead, Mat encounters the Foxlike 'Eelfinn' who bargain for gifts versus answering questions. Mat ignorantly requests several gifts from them: fluency in the Old Tongue, memories of his own ancestors, a spear called an ''ashandarei'', and a medallion ''ter'angreal'' that protects against the One Power. Afterwards Rand finds Mat hanging from the Tree of Life (the price for the gifts he received). After revival by Rand, Mat dons a black scarf to hide the scars around his neck.

Moiraine visits the three-hooped ''ter'angreal'' used by the Wise Ones, gaining limited knowledge of the future.

The Wise Ones task Aviendha with teaching Rand the Aiel customs as they travel to Cold Rocks Hold. They are met en route by darkfriends and Forsaken disguised as merchants. After arrival at ''Al'cair Dal'', both Rand al'Thor and Couladin of the Shaido Aiel claim to be the messiah 'He Who Comes With the Dawn'. To validate his claim, Rand reveals the secret history of the Aiel during the Age of Legends, but this incites an uproar among the Aiel. Rand prevents a riot by wielding The One Power and summons a rainstorm to the Aiel Waste. The Forsaken Asmodean uses the momentary in-fighting amongst the Aiel as cover to seek out the ''ter'angreal'' access keys to the Choedan Kal (the most powerful ''sa'angreal'' ever created).

Rand chases Asmodean to Rhuidean where both simultaneously grasp the access key. The sudden power surge enables Rand to sever Asmodean's link to the Dark One (which marks Asmodean as a traitor to the rest of the Forsaken). Asmodean begrudgingly relents to teach Rand how to channel the One Power after Lanfear coerces him by hobbling Asmodean's own access to the One Power. Rand returns to Al'cair Dal to find most of the Aiel now acknowledge him as the Car'a'carn''.

The Two Rivers

Padan Fain drives the Children of the Light to the Two Rivers to exact vengeance on Rand.

The Shadow deploys Slayer, a mysterious and powerful agent, with a large host of Trollocs to kill Fain; endangering the Two Rivers.

Perrin's homecoming is dashed with tragedy when he learns Trollocs have killed his family. Perrin rallies new allies; Verin Mathwin, Alanna Mosvani, Aes Sedai searching for potential pupils, and the Tinker Aram (who has abandoned his people's pacifism) to fight the Trollocs. It is revealed later that it was in fact Fain who killed Perrin's family.

With the help of Tam al'Thor (Rand's adoptive father) and Abell Cauthon (Mat's father), Perrin recruits the people of the Two Rivers to fight for themselves. Perrin leads the Two Rivers against the Trollocs, and earns the nicknames 'Lord Perrin' and 'Perrin Goldeneyes.'

Before the showdown with the Trollocs, Perrin marries Faile and tasks her with travelling to Caemlyn and asking Queen Morgase to lend soldiers in their fight.

The Children of the Light, led by Dain Bornhald, interject themselves and demand Perrin's arrest to try him for the murders of other whitecloaks. Perrin agrees to give himself up, if the Children will fight alongside the Two Rivers when the Trollocs attack.

Slayer is killing wolves in ''Tel'aran'rhiod'', but retreats when he is attacked and defeated by Perrin.

Despite their loss of Perrin, the Trollocs are defeated by the Two Rivers forces. The Children of the Light reneged on their agreement (and sat out the battle with the Trollocs), so Perrin and the Two Rivers folk force the Children to leave.

With his plans ruined, Fain departs for the White Tower.

Tanchico in Tarabon

Nynaeve and Elayne, along with Thom Merrilin and Juilin Sandar, are taken to Tanchico by the Sea Folk, who reveal their own prophecies about Rand.

They meet Bayle Domon and the Seanchan Egeanin and encounter Moghedien and the Black Ajah. They discover that the enemy's goal is a male ''a'dam'', held in the private collection of the Panarch Amathera, which they plan to use to control Rand.

Nynaeve and Elayne save Amathera from the Black Ajah and take the ''a'dam'' and a seal on the Dark One's prison from her palace.

At this moment, Moghedien attacks them and personally duels Nynaeve, finding that they are roughly equal in power. Nynaeve defeats Moghedien and shields her, but the Black Ajah cause a distraction with a balefire-creating ''ter'angreal'', letting Moghedien escape. Finally, they send Domon and Egeanin to destroy the ''a'dam''.

White Tower

Min continues to report to the Amyrlin and tries to avoid suspicion by taking the guise of Elmindreda, a giddy, empty-headed woman. However, she finds herself caught in a coup: Elaida and her supporters depose Siuan and Leane Sharif, her Keeper of the Chronicles, for secretly aiding Rand.

Siuan and Leane are both 'Stilled' (their ability to channel the One Power removed) and Elaida becomes the next Amyrlin.

Min frees Siuan and Leane, and all three are assisted in escape by Gawyn Trakand. Logain Ablar, a former False Dragon who has been "Gentled" (the male equivalent of 'Stilling) joins their escape from the White Tower.

The novel follows Charles Schermerhorn Schuyler who has recently returned to the United States after more than 30 years in Europe, where he married into minor Napoleonic nobility; he is accompanied by his beautiful, young, widowed daughter Emma, the Princesse d'Agrigente. She immediately becomes the darling of New York high society. Despite his fame and affluent image, Schuyler finds work as a journalist because his wealth has been destroyed by the Panic of 1873 and his daughter's late husband has left her penniless. Schuyler also supports the Democratic candidate, Samuel J. Tilden, Governor of New York, because he hopes to secure himself a diplomatic position with the incoming administration, enabling him to return to Europe.

The early chapters detail the Schuylers' introduction into New York society and the engagement between Emma and John Day Apgar, a wealthy but rather dull young lawyer and scion of a leading New York family. The later chapters chronicle Schuyler's sojourn in Washington, D.C., and Emma's growing friendship with the wealthy Denise Sanford and her boorish husband William. Emma and Denise become close friends, but after Denise dies in childbirth, Emma breaks off her engagement to Apgar and marries Sanford instead.

The political backdrop to the story is the 1876 presidential election, a close contest between Tilden and the Republican Rutherford B. Hayes. Tilden won the popular vote, but there was a dispute over the results in Louisiana, Oregon, South Carolina, and Florida. In Florida, the Republican leaders of the State and the Electoral Commission initially reported a victory for Tilden, before deciding that in fact Hayes had won. Vidal builds up to this historic crisis through the activities of a mixed cast of historical and fictional characters, some of the latter having appeared in ''Burr'' or having descended from characters in that novel.

The story follows the sexual exploits of two Amherst College roommates over a 25-year period, from the late 1940s to the early 1970s. Sandy (Art Garfunkel) is gentle and passive, while Jonathan Fuerst (Jack Nicholson) is tough and aggressive. Sandy idolizes women, while Jonathan objectifies them. Jonathan frequently uses the term "ballbuster" to describe women as emasculating teases whose main pleasure is to deny pleasure to men; he extends this term to mean women who want to get married instead of accepting that men mostly want unattached sex. Since each man's perspective on womanhood is extreme and self-serving, neither is able to sustain a relationship with a woman.

The film has three parts. Part I occurs when Sandy and Jonathan are college roommates. Part II follows the men several years after college. In the final part, the men have become middle-aged.

In the beginning, Sandy and Jonathan are discussing women, and what kind appeals to each. Sandy wants a woman who is intellectual. Jonathan is more interested in a woman's physical attributes.

Sandy shyly meets Susan (Candice Bergen) at an on-campus event and they begin dating. Although they enjoy each other's company, Susan is reluctant to enter into a physical relationship. Unbeknownst to Sandy, she is also pursued by Jonathan, who feels a physical attraction for her. They have sex. Jonathan tries to persuade Susan not to have sex with Sandy, but after some delays, Susan is also having sex with Sandy. Part I ends with Susan and Jonathan breaking up.

Part II finds Sandy married to Susan, while Jonathan is still searching for his "perfect woman." Jonathan now defines perfection by a woman's bust size and figure. Jonathan begins a relationship with Bobbie (Ann-Margret), a beautiful woman who fulfills all of his physical requirements. However, Jonathan constantly berates Bobbie for being shallow. Jonathan finds that this purely physical relationship is no more satisfying than his previous relationship with Susan. Bobbie leaves her job at Jonathan's suggestion. She then becomes depressed, spending long hours doing nothing but sleeping in the apartment she shares with Jonathan. The relationship deteriorates. Jonathan berates Bobbie for not cleaning up the apartment while he is out working all day at a nine-to-five job. He claims that he doesn't understand why breakups always have to end with "poison."

Sandy's relationship with Susan is faring no better. Sandy is dissatisfied and bored with the physical part of their relationship, even though he and Susan "do all the right things." He relates how they are "patient with each other" and concludes with a statement that perhaps sex is not "meant to be enjoyable with the person you love."

Sandy and Susan end their relationship. Sandy begins dating Cindy (Cynthia O'Neal). Sandy, Cindy, Jonathan, and Bobbie find themselves together at Jonathan's apartment, where Sandy complains privately to Jonathan that Cindy gets so busy handing out instructions in bed that it's like a close-order drill. Jonathan suggests to Sandy that they trade partners, to "liven things up a bit." Sandy goes to the bedroom looking for Bobbie. Cindy dances with Jonathan and reprimands him for attempting to bed her with Sandy nearby, but indicates she is open to seeing him on his own, saying he should contact her at a more appropriate time. In the meantime, upset by an earlier fight with Jonathan about her desire to get married, Bobbie has attempted suicide. She is found by Sandy, who calls the hospital to have her taken to intensive care.

Part III opens with now-middle-aged Jonathan presenting a slideshow entitled "Ballbusters on Parade" to Sandy (also middle-aged) and Sandy's 18-year-old girlfriend, Jennifer (Carol Kane). The slideshow consists of pictures of Jonathan's various loves throughout his life. He skips awkwardly over a slide of Susan, but not before Sandy notices. He also shows an image of Bobbie, saying they are divorced and had one child together, and he is paying her alimony. Jennifer leaves in tears. Sandy idolizes his new lover, explaining that "she knows worlds which I cannot begin to touch yet." Jonathan believes his friend is deluding himself.

Time passes. Jonathan remains successful, but is alone. A prostitute (Rita Moreno) is with him, and they go through a ritual dialogue about male/female relationships which is apparently a script written by Jonathan. At the end, the prostitute recites a monologue (again scripted by Jonathan) praising his power and "perfection," which apparently has become the only way Jonathan can now get an erection.

At the end of the twenty-first century, a teleportation technology called "T-Mat" has replaced all traditional forms of transport, allowing people and objects to travel instantly anywhere on Earth. Manned space exploration has ceased. The Doctor, Jamie McCrimmon and Zoe Herriot arrive in a museum on Earth run by Professor Daniel Eldred dedicated to the obsolete technology of rockets. However, something goes amiss at the T-Mat vital relay station on the Moon and the system breaks down. With communications out, and no way to reach the Moon without T-Mat, those responsible for the system, Commander Radnor and his assistant Gia Kelly, turn to Professor Eldred to help. He has been privately building a rocket in hopes of re-igniting interest in space travel. The Doctor and his companions volunteer to crew the rocket. The Doctor also comments that the TARDIS is not suitable for short range use after Zoe informs Jamie that the TARDIS would most likely overshoot by a couple of million years.

The relay station on the Moon has been invaded by Ice Warriors, a militant Martian race, who plan to use it as a staging point for an invasion of Earth. The technicians attempt to fight the invaders but several are killed, while Phipps goes into hiding and Fewsham is pressed into assisting the invaders. Fewsham repairs the T-Mat link on receive mode and Miss Kelly beams through to start repairing the T-Mat system.

When the Doctor and his companions arrive on the Moon they make contact with Phipps, who is hiding in the moonbase. The Doctor accidentally reveals himself to the Ice Warriors and their leader Commander Slaar. The Ice Warriors have a deadly plan: they have seeds, which they send to various parts of Earth using T-mat, of a fungus that will multiply and suck all the oxygen from the surrounding atmosphere, making it more comfortable for the Martians but uninhabitable for humans. Once the full T-Mat relay is repaired, one seed is sent to Earth Control and explodes, killing a technician and alerting Radnor and Eldred of the danger. The seed soon creates foam, which multiplies its effects and imperils more and more people. Other T-Mat terminals across the world receive more seeds. The Ice Warriors also use T-Mat to dispatch a small advance force to seize Earth's weather control systems in London and ensure good conditions for the growth of the fungus.

On the Moon Miss Kelly and Phipps work with Zoe and Jamie to stage diversions and attacks against the Ice Warriors. During their main assault to free the Doctor, Phipps is killed. The Ice Warriors have now retreated to their spacecraft to plan the next stage of their invasion, leaving an opportunity for most of the captives to flee. Fewsham, however, remains behind, seemingly fearing an enquiry into his actions if he returns to Earth.

In T-Mat control on Earth, the Doctor works out that the seed pods can be defeated using water. This explains where the Ice Warrior beamed to Earth has gone, and the Doctor tracks him down to the weather control system, where the alien has been stationed to prevent any rain fall that would be deadly to the pods. The Doctor and his allies recapture the weather control system and summon rain, destroying the fungus, which is used to the dry conditions on Mars.

Fewsham has meanwhile delivered a crushing blow to the Ice Warriors. He dupes Slaar into revealing in a live link with Earth that the main invasion force is following a homing signal to the Moon, for which he is killed. But at least the Doctor now knows the full extent of the Ice Warrior plans. He returns to the moonbase by T-mat to set a new signal for the Martian fleet from there. The Doctor confronts Slaar while substituting the alternative signal. This draws the Martian fleet away and lures it into the Sun. Slaar moves to kill the Doctor in revenge but the arrival of Jamie in a T-Mat cubicle causes chaos, and Slaar is killed in one of the sonic beams of the last of his warriors. Jamie then kills the surviving Martian and the invasion is over. The Doctor and Jamie return to Earth and then make their goodbyes before departing in the TARDIS with Zoe.

The player takes the role of Captain Frank Hayden, an elite Delta Force operative and the former leader of Black Saber, the President's personal black bag unit. Hayden and his team are attempting to recover a briefcase nuclear bomb code named "Red Mercury" from terrorist mercenary Vladimir Styanovich, known by his Nom de guerre "Vlady the Vicious", who is operating out of a coastal Syrian town. The team's Black Hawk is shot down immediately upon insertion, and they fight their way through the streets in pursuit of Vlady. Hayden is too late to stop Vlady from escaping via helicopter, but manages to damage the helicopter's rotors with small arms fire. Vlady, escaping over the ocean, states he is nobody's martyr, and attempts to disarm the nuke and "re-evaluate". However, to his dismay, the bomb re-arms itself seconds later. Vlady leaves the bomb on the helicopter and leaps into the ocean in a futile attempt to escape the blast. The blast wave from the nuke kills Vlady and capsizes the U.S. aircraft carrier which had been Hayden's base of operations, as well as destroying the helicopter sent to extract Hayden's team, knocking them unconscious.

The plot then moves to 72 hours earlier, with Hayden and his team on a mission in the Congo jungle to destroy a cache of Stinger missiles being used by local guerillas to shoot down American supply planes. After the successful completion of the mission, Hayden is picked up by Central Intelligence Agency agent Kate Daniels and Russian Foreign Intelligence Service agent Yuri Entropov, who recruit him for a mission. They have information that Vlady is prepared to purchase a Red Mercury bomb from a Russian research facility in Kazakhstan, and want Hayden to infiltrate the facility and eliminate Vlady and the Red Mercury bomb. Yuri mentions he has an agent on the inside who has provided this information. Hayden HALO jumps into the area and sneaks into the facility, where he witnesses the deal between Vlady and the facility's chief scientist. He recognizes Vlady as Wesley Holden, a former member of Black Saber who lost an arm on a past mission and still holds a grudge against Hayden as a result. Instead of the agreed payment, Vlady kills the scientist and escapes with the bomb. Hayden is too late to stop him, and discovers that Yuri's inside agent is Galena, a Russian spy who has a tumultuous past romantic history with Hayden.

Back at base, Kate is furious at Vlady's escape, while Hayden reveals Vlady's true identity as an American special forces operative. He learns that Vlady has two Red Mercury bombs, not just one. Galena reveals that the Red Mercury bombs can only be armed through a chemical process known only to a scientist named Boris in Chechnya. Hayden and his team travel to Chechnya to stop Vlady, but are once again too late. Vlady has Boris arm the bombs, then kills him and escapes, leaving behind a boobytrap for Hayden. Hayden next pursues Vlady onto a Lebanese freighter, but is yet again unable to prevent Vlady's escape. However, he learns that Vlady is heading to Syria, and pursues him there.

The plot then returns to the opening mission, and proceeds as before up to the detonation of the Red Mercury bomb. In the aftermath of the nuclear explosion, Hayden regains consciousness just as he is being retrieved by the captain of the aircraft carrier, who informs him that his team has been killed, and that Yuri and Galena have possession of the second Red Mercury bomb and are on their way to the G8 summit in Paris, France, while Kate also left the carrier to pursue them. Hayden realizes that Vlady was just a distraction for Yuri and Galena's plot to assassinate the G8 world leaders.

Pursuing them onto a high speed train bound for France, Hayden discovers that Galena is actually a hostage, and it is Kate who is the mastermind behind the plot to nuclearly impeach the world leaders, with Yuri as her partner. Yuri declares his motives as allowing Russia to regain her former glory, but is abruptly killed by Kate, who indicates their motives are not the same. Kate simply wants to "shake things up" by killing the world leaders, whom she views as ineffectual and corrupt, and reset the world back to its roots. Hayden and Galena set out to stop her, with Hayden fighting his way alongside French RAID officers through Paris under siege from Kate's elite Russian troopers. Hayden finally confronts Kate in a climactic showdown on top of the Eiffel Tower, with Kate attacking from a circling attack helicopter. Kate is eventually struck by gunfire and falls from the helicopter to her death, dropping the Red Mercury bomb in the process. Galena shows up to try and disarm the bomb; she succeeds in disabling the nuclear element, but the conventional explosives will still go off. Hayden and Galena successfully escape to the bottom of the tower just as the bomb explodes at the top. The two of them share a kiss as a crowd of Parisians cheers them on.

Helena Campbell (Stephanie Leonidas) works with her parents Joanne and Morris (Gina McKee and Rob Brydon) at their family circus, but desires to run away and join real life. At the next performance, after Helena and Joanne have a heated argument, Joanne collapses and is taken to the hospital. Ten days later, while Helena is staying with her grandmother, she finds that the doctors determine that Joanne requires an operation, and Helena can only blame herself for the situation.

That night, she wakes up in a dream-like state and leaves her building to find three performers outside. As they try to perform for Helena, a shadow encroaches on the area and two of the performers are consumed by it. The third performer, Valentine (Jason Barry), a juggler, helps to quickly direct Helena to safety through the use of magical flying books. She learns they are in the City of Light which is slowly being consumed by shadows, causing its widely varied citizens to flee. Soon Helena is mistaken for the Princess. She and Valentine are taken to the Prime Minister (Brydon). He explains that the Princess from the Land of Shadow stole a charm from the White City, leaving their Queen of Light (McKee) in a state of unnatural sleep and the City vulnerable to the Shadows. Helena notes the resemblance of the Queen and Minister to her mother and father, and offers to help recover the charm along with Valentine. They are unaware their actions are being watched by the Queen of Shadows (also McKee) who has mistaken Helena for her daughter.

Helena and Valentine attempt to stay ahead of the shadows as they follow clues to the charm, learning that it is called the "MirrorMask". Helena discovers that by looking through the windows of the buildings, she can see into her bedroom in the real world, through the drawings of windows that she created and hung on the wall of her room. She discovers that a doppelgänger of herself is living there and behaving radically differently from her. The doppelganger soon becomes aware of her presence in the drawings and begins to destroy them, causing parts of the fantasy world to collapse. Valentine betrays Helena to the Queen of Shadows in exchange for a large reward of jewels. The Queen's servants warp Helena's mind so she will believe she is the Princess of Shadows. Valentine has a change of heart and returns to the Queen's palace, and helps Helena to break the spell on her. They search the Princess' room, and Helena discovers the MirrorMask hidden in the Princess' mirror. They flee the castle with the charm.

As they escape to Valentine's flying tower, Helena realizes that her doppelganger in the real world is the Princess of Shadows, who had used the MirrorMask to step through the windows in Helena's drawings. The Princess destroys the rest of the drawings in Helena's room, preventing Helena from returning, and Helena and Valentine disappear in the collapsed world. The Princess takes the drawings to the building's roof to disperse the shreds into the wind, but discovers one more drawing Helena had made on the back of the roof door. Helena successfully returns to the real world, sending the Princess back to her realm. At the same time, the Queen of Light finally awakens and the two Cities are restored to their natural balance.

Helena is woken up on the roof by her father, and they to learn that her mother's operation was successful; Helena returns to happily help at the circus. Sometime later, Helena becomes fascinated by a young man, strongly resembling Valentine, who wants to be a juggler for the circus.

This movie is about a gay university student Ricky (Chet Lam) and Mark (Nicky Hung). Ricky comes out to his family and friends, but his "fag hag" Olivia (Carol Chan) doesn't seem to be convinced. Being rejected by his parents, Ricky moves in with his friend Mark. Mark in his heart is gay too, but he has not yet come out to anyone, including his girlfriend Mabel (Joyee Lam). The movie focuses on the process of Mark's trying to face his sexual orientation.

In the Northern Province of Kenya, a woman is killed and eaten by a male lion. British senior wildlife warden George Adamson (Bill Travers) is sent in to kill the menacing lion and also his female, who charges him in defence of her three cubs. Realizing they are now motherless, George brings the three cubs home to his wife Joy (Virginia McKenna) and raises them. They name the cubs Big One, Lastika, and Elsa, who is the youngest and the one which Joy and George become especially attached to. When the cubs get too old, the older two are sent to Rotterdam Zoo but the Adamsons choose to keep Elsa.

Some years later, Joy and George soon have to travel to Kiunga as George has been told by his boss, John Kendall (Geoffrey Keen) about a lion who is killing goats in a local village. George successfully manages to kill the lion and he and Joy are able to share a special holiday with Elsa, where they introduce her to the Indian Ocean. On returning to the Northern Province, the Adamsons learn that Elsa has caused a massive elephant stampede. Kendall states that the Adamsons can no longer keep Elsa and must find a zoo to take her in. However, Joy instead wishes to teach Elsa how to survive in the wild, which Kendall reluctantly gives her and George three months to do.

Joy and George travel to Meru National Park where they aim to release Elsa. Initially, they attempt to introduce Elsa to a male lion, which does not go to plan – they leave her overnight with a fresh zebra kill but return in the morning to find her all by herself. Elsa is constantly taken out to the bush but fails to make a kill, getting attacked by a warthog on one of these outings. Eventually, Joy and George decide to leave Elsa in the bush for at least a week and change the location of their camp so that Elsa can become more independent. However, they find her severely injured (possibly by wild lions). Joy still believes that she can teach Elsa to survive as she opposes sending her to a zoo, where she will have no freedom. This proves to be a good decision as Elsa eventually starts leaving the Adamsons for days at a time and eventually makes several kills. The Adamsons thus take her out for her final test – an attempt to join a wild pride. Elsa manages to fight a wild lioness and is accepted into the pride – Joy and George are overjoyed at their success but promise to see their dear friend again when they return to Kenya.

A year later, the Adamsons return to Kenya and are given a week to find Elsa. They are overjoyed to see that Elsa has succeeded as a wild lion and is now the mother of three cubs. However, Joy and George both agree that they will not interact with the cubs, allowing them to survive as wild lions.

The film opens in Thailand, with Antonio Serrano, a mafia drug distributor visiting long-time associate Kinman Tau, a drug kingpin. Serrano is having troubles and wants them to work together, but his request is not reciprocated.

Turned off from politics after witnessing the death of his father at Tiananmen Square in China, Los Angeles art student Jake Lo is lured to a party of Chinese pro-democracy activists. While there, he witnesses Serrano killing party sponsor Carl Chang, who was an associate of Tau. When Serrano and his men attempt to kill Jake, he swiftly disarms them using martial arts techniques. Jake is placed under protective custody by federal agents, who coerce him into coming to Chicago and testifying against Serrano.

When the agents at the safe house are revealed to be corrupt, Jake escapes through the window and encounters a young police detective named Karla Withers. Withers' partner, Lieutenant Mace Ryan, helps Jake evade his pursuers and reveals that he had been pursuing Tau for 10 years.

Jake is persuaded by Ryan to help him exploit Serrano's FBI ties and obtain information about Tau's next shipment. Though the sting operation is successful, Jake is nearly killed in a barrage of gunfire and assaults Ryan after he reveals his involvement was not necessary. Later that night, Karla invites Jake to her apartment and shows him his father's confidential file. After an intimate discussion, they realize their feelings for each other and have sex. Meanwhile Ryan and his team lead a raid at the revealed location of the next shipment: Tau's laundry factory. Both the lovemaking and the events of the raid are shown alternately as they occur in actual time, culminating with Serrano being murdered in his cell by one of Tau's henchman.

Jake, Ryan and Withers subsequently team up to bring down Tau once more. Though Ryan and Withers are captured by Tau's men, Jake rescues them and eventually kills Tau at a train platform. He and Karla then evacuate Ryan from the burning factory and ride to the hospital together in an ambulance.

The Auditors of Reality are beings who watch the Discworld to ensure everything obeys The Rules. As Death starts developing a personality the Auditors feel that he does not perform his Duty in the right way. They send him to live like everyone else. Travelling to the Octarine Grass Country, he assumes the name "Bill Door" and he works as a farm hand for the elderly Miss Flitworth. She is a spinster whose fiancé, Rufus, died on a last smuggling expedition many years ago. There are rumours that he had had second thoughts about their marriage but she does not believe them.

While every other species creates a new Death for themselves, humans need more time for their Death to be completed. As a result, the life force of dead humans starts to build up; this results in poltergeist activity, ghosts, and other paranormal phenomena. Most notable is the return of the recently deceased wizard Windle Poons, who was really looking forward to reincarnation. After several misadventures, including being accosted by his oldest friends, he finds himself attending the Fresh Start club, an undead-rights group led by Reg Shoe. The Fresh Start club and the wizards of Unseen University discover that the city of Ankh-Morpork is being invaded by a parasitic lifeform that feeds on cities and hatches from eggs that resemble snow globes. Tracking its middle form, shopping trolleys, the Fresh Start club and the wizards invade and destroy the third form, a shopping mall.

When humankind finally thinks of a New Death, one with a crown and without any humanity or human face, it goes to take Bill Door. Death/Door, having planned for this moment for some time, outwits and destroys it. Having defeated the New Death, Death absorbs the other Deaths back into him, with the exception of the Death of Rats (and ultimately, the Death of Fleas). Death confronts Azrael, the Death of the Universe, and states that the Deaths have to care or they do not exist and there is nothing but Oblivion, which must also end some time.

Death asks for and receives some time. He meets up with Miss Flitworth again and offers her unlimited dreams. She asks to go to the local Harvest Dance. They prepare and join the townspeople for a full night of dancing.

As the sun is coming up, Miss Flitworth realizes she had died hours before the dance even started. Death escorts her through back history to her old fiancé: as she had believed, he had died in an accident and not been unfaithful. The young couple enter the afterlife together.

Returning to the city of Ankh-Morpork, Death meets up with Windle Poons, finally taking him to his afterlife. At the end there is also a discussion between Death and the Death of Rats over what the Death of Rats should "ride", Death suggests a dog while the Death of Rats suggests a cat.

Edward d'Eath, an Assassin and son of a down-and-out noble family, becomes convinced that the restoration of the Ankh-Morpork monarchy will solve the social change in the city which he blames for his family's humbling. He researches the history of the royal family and determines that Carrot Ironfoundersson is in fact the rightful heir to the throne.

Meanwhile, Captain Samuel Vimes, captain of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, prepares for his imminent wedding to Sybil Ramkin, the richest woman in Ankh-Morpork. He also must deal with a new group of recruits that he has been required to take on for the sake of diversity: Cuddy (a dwarf), Detritus (a troll), and Angua (a werewolf—but Carrot is unaware of this, and believes she is included because she is female). When a string of seemingly random murders occur among the Guilds of the city, Lord Vetinari forbids Vimes to investigate in a successful ploy to ensure Vimes does investigate. Cuddy and Detritus are forced to work together, resulting in them becoming friends as they overcome their deep-seated racial enmity. Angua works with the talking dog Gaspode, and also forms a romantic connection with Carrot, who loses his virginity to her but handles the discovery that she is a werewolf poorly.

It is revealed that d'Eath has stolen the gonne, the Disc's first and only handheld firearm, from the Assassins' Guild, with the intention of discrediting Vetinari's government through the murders. Any possessor of the gonne seems to become obsessed with the device. After d'Eath reveals his plan to Dr. Cruces, head of the Assassin's Guild, Cruces murders him and takes up the plan himself. The Watch prevent Cruces from killing Vetinari, but Cuddy and Angua are killed in the process. Vimes and Carrot confront and disarm Cruces, and Carrot helps Vimes resist the gonne's allure. Cruces gives Carrot the evidence that he is the royal heir, upon which Carrot kills Cruces with his sword and has both the evidence and the dismantled gonne buried with Cuddy. Angua gets shot 3 times by Cruces; as a werewolf can only be killed with a silver weapon, Angua is revived upon the moon's rising.

Vimes and Ramkin are married. Recent events have raised the Night Watch's profile, bringing a slew of new recruits. Carrot visits Vetinari, who is expecting Carrot to make personal demands as he is now in a strong position to blackmail the Patrician. What Carrot actually brings is a request for Vetinari to implement a plan for reforming the City Watch into an effective, integrated, comprehensive police force with better working conditions. Vetinari accedes, making Carrot Captain of the Watch and elevating Vimes to the recreated position Commander of the Watch, and the rank of Knight.

The Auditors of Reality, a group of "celestial bureaucrats" attempt to eliminate the Hogfather, a jolly god-like creature who brings children presents on December 32nd, similar to the figures of Santa Claus and Father Christmas in the US and UK. Forbidden to interfere directly by "The Rules", they pay the Assassin's Guild to kill the Hogfather instead. The task is given to Mr. Teatime who has a reputation for ruthlessness and creative solutions. Mr. Teatime enlists the help of some gangsters to find a delivery person working for the Tooth Fairy, using his magic to break into her kingdom and stealing all the collected teeth. With these teeth, he is able to control all the children on the Discworld, commanding them to no longer believe in the Hogfather.

Knowing that the Hogfather is also responsible for the sun rising, Death attempts to maintain belief by dressing up as the Hogfather and fulfilling his role. Since he is unable himself to defeat Mr. Teatime, who resides in a realm created by children's belief where death (and thus Death) does not exist, he appears at his granddaughter's place of work dressed as the Hogfather. As he had planned, Susan Sto Helit is unable to resist her curiosity and tries to find the Hogfather. She visits the Hogfather's Castle of Bones, only to find the hung-over Bilious, the "Oh God" of Hangovers. In an attempt to cure Bilious from his hangovers, Susan visits the Unseen University, where it is discovered that several small gods and beings (including Bilious) are being created due to an abundance of excess belief in the world caused by the Hogfather's disappearance.

Susan and Bilious travel to the Tooth Fairy's realm and discover Mr. Teatime's plot. Mr. Teatime attacks Susan using Death's sword, but since it does not work in this realm, Susan is able to overpower him and throw him off the tower, causing him to disappear. She then manages to rescue the Hogfather, who has reverted to his former self as a hog, from Auditors who hound him in the form of attack dogs. As Susan is returning to her place of work, Death explains what happened to Susan but she is attacked by Teatime whom she finally manages to kill using the kitchen poker.

The Auditors hire young clockmaker Jeremy Clockson to build a perfect glass clock, without telling him that this will stop time and thereby eliminate human unpredictability from the universe. Death discovers their plans, but cannot act against them directly, so he instead sends his granddaughter Susan Sto Helit. Meanwhile, Lu-Tze of the History Monks leads gifted young apprentice Lobsang Ludd in a desperate mission.

Gordon Bombay, an arrogant Minneapolis defense attorney, is arrested for drunk driving and sentenced to community service by coaching the local "District 5" Pee-Wee hockey team. In his youth, Bombay was the star player for the Pee-Wee Hawks but missed a penalty shot at the end of the championship game, disappointing his coach Jack Reilly. Bombay meets the ragtag District 5 team, realizing they have no practice facility, safe equipment, or ability. In their first game with Bombay, they are soundly defeated by the Hawks, still coached by the hyper-competitive Reilly. Bombay resorts to teaching them to dive and draw penalties, angering the team and their parents, but player Charlie Conway refuses to cheat.

Visiting his mentor Hans, who owns a sporting goods store, Bombay recalls that he quit hockey after losing his father months before the championship, and because Reilly blamed him for losing the game. Hans encourages him to rekindle his passion for the sport by skating on the frozen pond from his childhood, where he realizes the error of his ways, and apologizes to Charlie and his mother Casey.

Bombay approaches his boss, Gerald Ducksworth, to sponsor the team, allowing them to purchase new equipment and rink time. As they learn hockey fundamentals, the team recruits three new players: figure skating siblings Tommy and Tammy Duncan, and slap shot specialist and enforcer Fulton Reed. Noticing Charlie’s potential, Bombay takes him under his wing and teaches him tactics he used with the Hawks. Renamed the Ducks – after Ducksworth – the team plays its next game to a tie.

Bombay learns that due to redistricting, the Hawks’ star player Adam Banks lives in District 5 and should be playing for the Ducks. Informing the Pee-Wee league, Bombay is confronted by Reilly and sarcastically agrees that the Ducks are “losers”; overhearing this, most of the team (besides Charlie and Fulton) walk out and forfeits their game. Considering leaving the team, Bombay is convinced to stay by Charlie. He goes to see Ducksworth, who reveals that his community service is over and has arranged a meeting with Reilly and Adam's father, who have made a deal with the league for Adam to remain on the Hawks, if Bombay withdraws his complaint. Reminding Ducksworth that coaching was meant to teach him fair play, Gordon remembers his father's guidance that a team is "something you have to earn." Told to drop his protest or be fired, Bombay chooses the latter, "quacking" at Ducksworth on his way out.

Visiting his players in school detention, Bombay regains their trust. Joined by Adam, they win a crucial match and qualify for the playoffs, and attend a Minnesota North Stars game together. With Charlie’s encouragement, Bombay begins a romance with Casey, and the Ducks win two more games, reaching the championship against the Hawks. Reilly orders his team to injure Banks, forcing him out of the game, but the Ducks manage to tie late in the final period. Charlie is tripped by a Hawks player as time expires, and prepares for the same game-deciding penalty shot Bombay himself faced. In stark contrast to Reilly – who told Bombay that if he missed, he would let everyone down – Bombay tells Charlie to take his best shot, but that he believes in him no matter what. Inspired, Charlie fakes out the goalie with a "triple-deke" Bombay taught him and scores, winning the state championship. The Ducks and their families race onto the ice in jubilation, where Bombay thanks Hans for believing in him.

Some days later, Bombay boards a bus to a minor-league tryout, secured for him by the NHL's Basil McRae, who played Pee-Wee hockey with him. He receives his own words of encouragement from the Ducks, promising to return next season to defend their title.

About 1,000,000 B.C., an unidentified alien race sent out robotic factories to many worlds in their part of the galaxy to prepare for future settlement. One of those factory ships suffers severe radiation damage from a near-miss by a supernova and goes off course, drifting in space for a hundred thousand years before landing on the Saturnian moon Titan. Due to a malfunction in its database, it begins producing imperfect copies that begin to evolve on their own. (The description of this background is presented in a prologue that proved sufficiently popular among readers that it was later anthologized on its own in a collection of Hogan's short fiction.) The resulting machine ecosystem eventually gives rise to humanoid robots with human-like intellects, who develop a civilization similar to early civilization of Earth. Almost all of them have reverence for their mythical creator, a being they call the "Lifemaker".

Early in the 21st century, the North Atlantic Space Organization (combining NASA and NATO) dispatched the ''Orion'' with a cover story of terraforming Mars for human habitation. Karl Zambendorf, a con artist who is present on this expedition to verify ESP over interplanetary distances, prematurely learns that the ''Orion'' and its crew of researchers is headed for Titan, where the discovery of the Taloids has been kept need-to-know on Earth.

When the ''Orion'' arrives, the first landing party sets down in a freethinking state where Thirg, a Taloid who was cast out of his home state Kroaxia, has fled. They are mistaken for the Lifemaker because they have come from the sky, which the Taloids cannot see out of due to Titan's atmosphere. But Thirg becomes more discerning as he and the humans begin to understand more of each other's speech. Thirg's brother Groork has come from Kroaxia to apprehend him, but Zambendorf intercepts him and sends him back to Kroaxia as a prophet.

Zambendorf learned that NASO plans to exploit Titan's natural resources and use the Taloids to build the factories they need, reducing them to slaves. The NASO business administrators on the ''Orion'' are already in agreement with the Kroaxian government to use human (the Taloids call humans "Lumians" because they glow brightly in their infrared vision) weapons to conquer Titan, believing the Kroaxian leadership buttressed by priests will be the easiest to control. Zambendorf, in his unanticipated role as Messenger for the Lifemaker, has given Groork guidelines akin to the Ten Commandments for his people to prevent a war from starting. "All Taloids are brothers" and "No Taloid is to enslave or be a slave" does not sit well with the ruling establishment of Kroaxia, and Groork is saved by the ''Orion'' crew not working for NASO. There will be use of Titan's resources, but the partnership between humans and Taloids will be one of equals.

In Montreal, Quebec, scientist André Delambre (Hedison) is found dead with his head and arm crushed in a hydraulic press. Although his wife Hélène (Patricia Owens) confesses to the crime, she refuses to provide a motive, and begins acting strangely. In particular, she is obsessed with flies, including a supposedly white-headed fly. André's brother, François (Price), lies and says he caught the white-headed fly. Thinking he knows the truth, Hélène explains the circumstances surrounding André's death.

In flashback, André, Hélène, and their son Philippe (Charles Herbert) are a happy family. André has been working on a matter-transporter device called the disintegrator-integrator. He initially tests it only on small, inanimate objects, such as a newspaper, but he then proceeds to living creatures, including the family's pet cat (which fails to reintegrate, but can be heard meowing somewhere) and a guinea pig. After he is satisfied that these tests are succeeding, he builds a man-sized pair of chambers.

One day, Hélène, worried because André has not come up from the basement lab for a couple of days, goes down to find André with a black cloth draped over his head and a strange deformity on his left hand. Communicating only with typed notes and knocking, André tells Hélène that he tried to transport himself, but that a fly was caught in the chamber with him, which resulted in the mixing of their atoms. Now, he has the head and left arm of a fly; and the fly has his miniature head and left arm, though he keeps his mind.

André needs Hélène to capture the fly so he can reverse the process. After she, her son, and their housemaid exhaustively search for it, she finds it, but it slips out a crack in the window. André's will begins to fade as the fly's instincts take over his brain. Time is running out, and while André can still think like a human, he smashes the equipment, burns his notes and leads Hélène to the factory. When they arrive, he sets the hydraulic press, puts his head and arm under, and motions for Hélène to push the button. André's arm falls free as the press descends, and trying not to look, she raises the press, replaces the arm, and activates the machine a second time.

Upon hearing this confession, the chief detective on the case, Inspector Charas (Marshall), deems Hélène insane and guilty of murder. As they are about to haul her away, Philippe tells François he has seen the fly trapped in a web in the back garden. François convinces the inspector to come and see for himself. The two men see the fly, with both André's head and arm, trapped in the web as Phillippe told them. It screams "Help me! Help me!" as a large brown spider advances on it. Just as the spider is about to devour the creature, Charas crushes them both with a rock. Knowing that nobody would believe the truth, François and he decide to declare André's death a suicide so that Hélène is not convicted of murder.

In the end, Hélène, François, and Philippe resume their daily lives. Sometime later, Philippe and Hélène are playing croquet in the yard. François arrives to take his nephew to the zoo. In reply to his nephew's query about his father's death, François tells Philippe, "He was searching for the truth. He almost found a great truth, but for one instant, he was careless. The search for the truth is the most important work in the whole world and the most dangerous". The film closes with Hélène escorting her son and François out of the yard.

On 2 May 1945, Squadron Leader Peter Carter, an RAF pilot, is flying a badly damaged and burning Lancaster bomber over the English Channel, after a mission over Germany. Carter is expecting to die, after ordering his crew to bail out, without revealing to them that his own parachute has been destroyed. The only radio operator receiving him is June, at a USAAF base on the coast of England. For a few minutes Carter converses with June, before jumping from the Lancaster without a parachute.

Peter should have died at that point, but Conductor 71, the guide sent to escort him to the Other World, misses him in the thick fog over the English Channel. The airman wakes up on a beach near June's base. At first, he assumes he is in the afterlife but, when a de Havilland Mosquito flies low overhead, discovers to his bewilderment that he is still alive.

Peter meets June cycling back to her quarters after her night shift, and they fall in love. Conductor 71 (a French aristocrat guillotined in the Revolution) stops time to explain the situation, urging Peter to accept his death and accompany him to the Other World, but Peter demands an appeal. While Conductor 71 consults his superiors, Peter continues to live. Conductor 71 returns and informs him that he has been granted his appeal and has three days to prepare his case. He can choose a defence counsel from among all the people who have ever died, but he has difficulty picking one.

Peter's visions are diagnosed by June's fascinated friend Doctor Reeves as a symptom of a brain injury—chronic adhesive arachnoiditis from a slight concussion two years earlier—and he is scheduled for surgery. Reeves is killed in a motorcycle accident while trying to find the ambulance that is to take Peter to the hospital. Reeves' death allows him to act as Peter's counsel.

Reeves argues that, through no fault of his own, his client was given additional time on Earth and that, during that time, he has fallen in love and now has an earthly commitment that should take precedence over the afterlife's claim on him. The matter comes to a head—in parallel with Peter's brain surgery—before a celestial court; the camera zooms out from an amphitheatre to reveal that it is as large as a spiral galaxy. The prosecutor is American Abraham Farlan, who hates the British for making him the first casualty of the American Revolutionary War. Reeves challenges the composition of the jury, which is made up of representatives who are prejudiced against the British. In fairness, the jury is replaced by a multicultural mixture of modern Americans whose origins are as varied as those they replace.

Reeves and Farlan both make comparisons with the other's nationality to support their positions. In the end, Reeves has June take the stand (Conductor 71 makes her fall asleep in the real world so she can testify) and prove that she genuinely loves Peter by telling her that the only way to save his life is to take his place, whereupon she steps onto the stairway to the Other World without hesitation and is carried away, leaving Peter behind. The stairway comes to an abrupt halt and June rushes back to Peter's open arms. As Reeves triumphantly explains, "... nothing is stronger than the law in the universe, but on Earth, nothing is stronger than love."

The jury rules in Peter's favour. The Judge shows Reeves and Farlan the new lifespan granted to the defendant; Reeves calls it "very generous", and Farlan jokingly complains, then agrees to it. The two then engage in supportive banter with one another, and against the stern Chief Recorder, who protests against the breach of law. The scene then shifts to the operating room, where the surgeon declares the operation a success.

Neil Gibson, the Gold King and former senator from "some Western state", approaches Sherlock Holmes to investigate the murder of his wife Maria in order to clear his children's governess, Grace Dunbar, of the crime. It soon emerges that Mr. Gibson's marriage had been unhappy and he treated his wife very badly. He had fallen in love with her when he met her in Brazil, but soon realised they had nothing in common. He became attracted to Miss Dunbar; since he could not marry her, he had attempted to please her in other ways, such as trying to help people less fortunate than himself.

Maria Gibson was found lying in a pool of blood on Thor Bridge with a bullet through the head and note from the governess, agreeing to a meeting at that location, in her hand. A recently discharged revolver with one shot fired is found in Miss Dunbar's wardrobe. Holmes agrees to look at the situation in spite of the damning evidence.

From the outset, Holmes observes some rather odd things about the case. How could Miss Dunbar so coolly and rationally have planned and carried out the murder and then carelessly tossed the murder weapon into her wardrobe? What was the strange chip on the underside of the bridge's stone balustrade? Why was Mrs. Gibson clutching the note from Miss Dunbar when she died? If the murder weapon was one of a matched pair of pistols, why couldn't the other one be found in Mr. Gibson's collection?

Holmes uses his powers of deduction to solve the crime, and demonstrates, using Watson's revolver, how it was perpetrated: Mrs. Gibson, outraged and jealous of Miss Dunbar's relationship with her husband, resolved to end her own life and frame her rival for the crime. After arranging a meeting with Miss Dunbar, requesting her to leave her response in a note, Mrs. Gibson tied a rock on a piece of string to the end of a revolver, and shot herself, the rock pulling the revolver over the side of the bridge; the revolver found in Miss Dunbar's wardrobe was the other pistol of the pair, which had been fired off in the woods earlier, and the chip in the bridge was caused by the pistol hitting the stonework as it was pulled off by the rock. Holmes's reconstruction reproduces the damage to the balustrade of the bridge. He asks the police to drag the lake for the revolvers of Watson and Gibson.

''CSI: NY'' follows a group of investigators who work for the New York City crime lab. The series mixes gritty subject matter and deduction in the same manner as its predecessors, yet also places a great deal of emphasis on criminal profiling. The team is led by Detective Mac Taylor, a former Marine from Chicago. Mac is a veteran of the NYPD who lost his wife on 9/11, and as such must work to rebuild his personal life while supervising his team. He is organized, efficient, dedicated, and very proper in his management style. Mac's partner is originally Stella Bonasera. Stella is half-Greek, half-Italian, and entirely New York City. She helped Mac through the impact of his wife's death and has been by his side ever since. She is a savvy investigator, yet she often speaks before she thinks. Stella leaves New York to head a crime lab in New Orleans and is replaced by Detective Jo Danville. Jo is a former FBI criminalist and an experienced psychological profiler. She and Mac quickly form a strong friendship and an even stronger working rapport. Jo is still haunted by her ousting from the FBI after blowing the whistle on improper lab procedure, so she works to regain her professional reputation. Together, Mac, Stella, and Jo head an elite team of detectives including Danny Messer, Aiden Burn, and Lindsay Monroe. The team also works alongside CSI Sheldon Hawkes, Detective Don Flack, Medical Examiner Sid Hammerback, and CSI trainee Adam Ross.

Act One

The play opens in the early 1980s, at the ending of the lore. Mrs. Johnstone, surrounded by others including Mr. and Mrs. Lyons, and the Narrator, is standing over the bodies of Mickey and Eddie and sings “Tell Me It’s Not True” (“Overture”). The Narrator introduces the “story of the Johnstone twins” to the audience and the play then goes back in time to the late 1950s, at the start of the lore.

Some time in the late 1950s, a 30-year-old Mrs. Johnstone is living in the Victorian inner city slums of Liverpool. She describes her whirlwind romance with her husband, who, once attracted to her because of how she looked like Marilyn Monroe, lost interest in her after multiple pregnancies and weight gain and eventually left her for a younger, more attractive woman. She also reveals that she is once again pregnant ("Marilyn Monroe"). Heavily in debt and unable to support her seven children alone, she takes a job as a cleaner for a local upper middle-class couple, Mr. Richard Lyons and Mrs. Jennifer Lyons. Soon she finds out she is pregnant with twins, but can only afford to raise one more child.

Mrs. Lyons is desperate for a baby but is unable to conceive, and would like to adopt a child but her husband, who is away on business overseas, is not keen on the idea. Mrs. Johnstone reveals to Mrs Lyons that she is going to have twins and explains that she cannot afford to raise two more babies. Mrs. Lyons then suggests that Mrs. Johnstone gives one of the babies to her ("My Child"). Mrs. Johnstone apprehensively agrees to this and is made to swear on the Bible to keep to the deal. Mrs. Johnstone has the twins, and names the two children Michael (known as Mickey throughout the play) and Edward, but then regrets having agreed to give one away ("Easy Terms"). After keeping her deal with Mrs. Lyons, she lies to her older children, saying that the other baby had died and gone to heaven.

Mrs. Johnstone continues to work for the Lyons family, but Mrs. Lyons soon feels that Mrs. Johnstone is paying too much attention to the child that she has given up to her. In the early 1960s, she fires Mrs. Johnstone because of this, however in return Mrs. Johnstone wants to take the baby with her. Mrs. Lyons offers her money which Mrs. Johnstone refuses but Mrs. Lyons plays on Mrs. Johnstone's superstitious nature by telling her that "if twins separated at birth learn that they were once one of a pair they will both immediately die" ("Shoes Upon the Table"). Mrs. Lyons again gives Mrs. Johnstone the money and leaves. It is implied that Mrs. Johnstone is left traumatised by this encounter.

In the late 1960s, a seven-year-old Mickey, the son of Mrs. Johnstone, meets Edward, the other twin, by chance, and after learning they share the same birthday, the two boys make a pact to become blood brothers, with Mickey calling Edward "Eddie". Mrs. Johnstone finds them, and fearing that they will find out they are twins, sends Eddie away, telling him not to come round again or else the "Bogey-man" will get him. Later in the day, Mickey goes to Eddie's house, but Mrs. Lyons throws him out when she comes to the realisation that he is Edward's separated twin. She and Eddie argue on the subject, and Eddie swears at her. Mrs. Lyons slaps him, blaming Mickey for teaching him inappropriate language, and immediately regrets her reaction. She realises that he has learned to swear from Mickey.

Mickey plays with some neighbourhood children including his friend Linda ("Kids' Game"), where Mickey says a swear word and is bullied by other children, including his nine-year-old older brother Sammy, a notorious troublemaker in the area and a leader of the other children, for doing so, stating that he will go to hell. Linda defends Mickey and reassures him, revealing the closeness of the two. Afterwards, Mickey takes her to see Eddie, and the three of them sneak off to play. Mrs. Lyons worries about Eddie's whereabouts. ("Gypsies in the Wood") The three are caught by a police officer when about to throw stones through a window and taken home to their respective parents. Mrs. Lyons, worried about Eddie's friendship with Mickey, decides to move and persuades her husband, who believes her paranoia to be illness and agrees to the move. Eddie goes to Mrs. Johnstone's house to say goodbye to Mickey and she gives him a locket which she claims to contain a picture of herself and Mickey, though it is suggested that it may have contained a picture of herself and Eddie instead. Edward asks Mrs. Johnstone why she doesn't simply move away, causing her to dream about the seemingly impossible possibility of her moving away and beginning a new life ("Bright New Day (Preview)").

After Eddie has moved away, Mickey tries to visit Eddie but finds him not home, and asks the new tenant of the house where he has moved to no avail. Without Eddie he feels alone. ("Long Sunday Afternoon / My Friend")

Soon afterwards, in the early 1970s, the Johnstone family are rehoused from the condemned inner city slum area of Liverpool to a new council house in the nearby overspill town of Skelmersdale ("Bright New Day"). This reflected the gradual demolition of the city’s slum clearances and the relocation to families on new housing estates in Liverpool and nearby towns around this period.

Act Two

Act Two rejoins the twins when they are 14 years old, some time in the mid-to-late 1970s (often believed to be 1976 or 1977). The Johnstone family are enjoying a better life now they have moved to a new home and a new area, and they have not seen Eddie in all this time ("Marilyn Monroe 2"). Mickey has now developed a crush on Linda, who is obviously interested in him too, but Mickey does not know how to approach her and is embarrassed by her honesty to being attracted to him. During their journey to school Sammy, Mickey’s older brother, pretends to be 14 to get a cheaper bus ticket. When he is confronted his violent nature becomes obvious; he swears violently at the driver, threatens him with a knife, steals some money and escapes.

Eddie is suspended from his boarding school for refusing to give up his locket to a teacher. Meanwhile, Mickey refuses to pay attention or co-operate during a class in his school, insulting the teacher, and is suspended. Linda is also suspended for defending him. When he returns home, Eddie refuses to tell Mrs. Lyons about the locket’s contents, and when she takes it and sees the picture inside she panics, and immediately assumes it is a picture of Eddie. She grows paranoid, having once thought she had buried the past by moving away, and questions Mrs. Johnstone's presence in their life ("The Devil's Got Your Number"). Eddie and Mickey, now teenage and insecure, both reminisce over their blood brother, and after seeing each other but not realising they are seeing their blood brother, think about how they wish they had the qualities the other guy has ("That Guy"). After Mickey and Linda walk through a field in the countryside surrounding Skelmersdale, where Linda expresses her frustration at how Mickey has not yet asked her out, Mickey and Eddie meet by chance once again, revealing that the Lyons family moved close to Skelmersdale (where the Johnstone family now live) and they discover that they live close to each other. Eddie gives Mickey humorously inexperienced advice on how to talk to Linda, and invites him to see a pornographic film with him to "see how it's done".

An increasingly mentally deranged and paranoid Mrs. Lyons further questions whether she is truly free from Mrs. Johnstone ("Shoes Upon The Table (Reprise)") as Mickey asks his mother for money to see a film while reintroducing Eddie. After she realises it is a pornographic film, the three have a humorous moment, before Mrs. Johnstone gives them the money and they leave. Mrs Lyons, by this point in the play clearly mentally ill, discovers Mrs Johnstone's house and confronts her, believing that she followed her after they moved. After she admits that she “never made him [Eddie] mine”, she offers to pay off Mrs. Johnstone again. After Mrs. Johnstone stands her ground and declares she will not be paid off again, stating that she has made a good living for herself out of her new life, an enraged Mrs. Lyons attempts to attack Mrs. Johnstone with a knife, but a now strong-willed Mrs. Johnstone fights back and kicks her out, with Mrs. Lyons fleeing in terror. Mrs. Lyons continues to deteriorate into insanity and it is implied that she has now become known for being mentally insane. (Mad Woman On A Hill).

Mickey, Eddie and Linda spend each summer as teens together, taking the play to the end of the 1970s, when an 18-year-old Eddie reveals to Linda that he is leaving for university in Liverpool the following day, but has not told her or Mickey. Linda reveals Mickey still hasn't asked her out, prompting Eddie to tell her what he would say to her if he were Mickey. Secretly, he is revealing his true feelings but has not acted on then out of respect for Mickey ("I'm Not Saying A Word"). Eddie leaves for university in Liverpool, but not before encouraging Mickey to ask Linda out.

During Eddie's absence, in the early 1980s, Linda becomes pregnant, she and Mickey soon quickly marry and move in with Mrs Johnstone. Mickey is then made redundant from his factory job due to the recession ongoing at the time, which hits Merseyside particularly hard, which forces Mickey onto the dole shortly before Christmas (“Take A Letter Miss Jones"). Eddie returns at Christmas ready to party and have fun, but Mickey realises that they are now very different; after a small argument with Eddie, they part. Mickey is persuaded to assist his brother Sammy, who now engages in criminal acts, in a robbery, to earn money to support Linda and their baby daughter Sarah. The robbery goes wrong, and he becomes an accessory to a murder committed by Sammy. He is sentenced to seven years in prison but the incident destroys Mickey mentally.

In prison, Mickey is diagnosed as chronically depressed. When released early for good behaviour, he is still dependent on anti-depressants. He becomes withdrawn and turns away from Linda ("Marilyn Monroe 3"). Linda, unable to get Mickey off the anti-depressants, contacts Eddie, who is now a local councillor, and he gets them their own house in Liverpool and Mickey a job ("Light Romance"), taking the focus of the play back to Liverpool. Linda worries about Mickey and continues to meet up with Eddie. A mentally insane Mrs. Lyons, now seemingly willing to get back at Mrs. Johnstone in any way possible, even if it involves possibly being harmful to Eddie, sees them together and tells Mickey about it, suggesting that the two are having an affair. Mickey, distraught over Eddie and Linda's 'affair,' grabs the gun that Sammy hid before he got arrested and then storms down to the council offices to confront Eddie ("Madman").

There, Eddie is giving a speech when Mickey storms in with the gun. Mickey asks why Eddie would take away the one good thing that Mickey had – Linda. Eddie denies this intention, and the police enter, demanding that Mickey put the gun down. After being informed by Linda of the incident, Mrs. Johnstone runs in and, in an attempt to stop Mickey from shooting Eddie, tells the two brothers the truth. Mickey furiously despairs that he was not the one given away, because then he could have had the life given to Eddie. Mickey, enraged and violently angry, gestures with the gun towards Eddie. The gun goes off, killing Eddie, with the police then shooting and killing Mickey.

Mrs. Lyons' superstitious prediction has come true, and the narrator questions whether class was more to blame than superstition. ("Tell Me It's Not True").

Alternate Ending

In another version, Mickey has a fake gun. Mrs. Johnstone rushes to stop him and reveals the truth, which provokes Mrs. Lyons to attempt to shoot Mickey in order to keep her own child. Eddie jumps in and takes the bullet, and Mrs. Lyons shoots Mickey in rage. This version ends with the narrator’s monologue.

''So did you ever hear the tale of the Johnston twins''

''As like each other two new pins,

''How one was kept, one given away''

''They were born and they died on the self same day.''

Brian Griffin is a strict high-school English teacher at Del Norte High School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, who never accepts late homework and is demanding of his students. When Mark Kinney, one of the students in his class, plagiarizes a paper, Mr. Griffin makes him beg to be allowed back into the class. Instead of allowing him back in, though, Mr. Griffin decides to make him repeat the class next semester. Fellow students in the class he is repeating include David Ruggles, Jeff Garrett, and Betsy Cline. Susan McConell is an A+ student on average, but is constantly receiving below-average B's in his class. Mark suggests kidnapping Mr. Griffin, and convinces David, Jeff, and Betsy to join in on the plan as a way of scaring him and getting revenge because they feel he has treated them poorly.

The group decides to use Susan, who is least willing to participate in the plot, to distract Mr. Griffin by requesting a conference with him after school. Since Susan is one of his better-performing students with a serious approach to her studies, Mr. Griffin willingly does so, allowing her to walk him to his car afterwards. Jeff, David, and Mark forcibly place a bag over Mr. Griffin's head and tie him up, replacing the bag with a blindfold as they take him to a remote spot in the mountains. Betsy, due to a speeding ticket, arrives in the parking lot after the boys have left with Mr. Griffin. Susan was supposed to ride with Betsy, but does not want any further part in the scheme, and Betsy leaves without her. Mark tells Mr. Griffin to beg, but he refuses, so the students decide to leave him alone there until midnight.

Susan and David defy the group and go check on Mr. Griffin. The two find him dead as a result of coronary arrest after being unable to take his medication for angina. Mark convinces the rest of the group to cover up the death. He instructs Susan, who was the last one known to the police to see Mr. Griffin, to tell them Mr. Griffin kept looking at his watch during the conference and left with a pretty woman. Jeff, Mark, and David bury the body in the mountains. Betsy and David also drive Mr. Griffin's car to the airport, but the officer who gave Betsy a ticket sees her there. Worried that the officer might later identify the car as Mr. Griffin's, Jeff and Betsy move the car into Jeff's garage, so he can repaint it before they hide it elsewhere.

Mark's ex-girlfriend, Lana Turnboldt, has a picnic with her fiancé at the secluded place in the mountains, where they discover Mr. Griffin's medicine bottle. The police investigate, and find Mr. Griffin's body buried nearby. However, police do not find the ring Mr. Griffin was wearing when he died, as David had taken it. Irma Ruggles, David's paternal grandmother who lives with him, discovers the ring and refuses to give it back to him, believing the ring to be that of David's father, who had left him. David tells Susan he took the ring and his grandmother found it, but they are unsuccessful at retrieving it from her, so Susan tells Mark about the situation because she feels he would know what to do. Irma Ruggles is later murdered, and a neighbor refers to the suspect as a boy in a brown sweater. Susan makes the connection, knowing that Mark has a brown sweater he wears all the time, and that Mark would stop at nothing to get what he needed – in this case, the ring.

Susan plans to tell the police all that the group has done. Before she can inform the police, Mark, Jeff, and Betsy tie Susan up, and Jeff and Betsy leave to hide Mr. Griffin's car. Mark sets her curtains on fire, but Susan is saved by Kathy Griffin,In the first edition of the novel, her name is spelled Kathy, which is the spelling used here. The 2010 revised edition of the novel ( ) spells her name Cathy. Mr. Griffin's wife, who came over to her house with a detective for an interview. The detective catches Mark as he attempts to leave the house through a window. Several days later, Susan's mother tells her that all of those involved will face varying criminal charges, with her lawyer attempting to get Susan off with no charges in exchange for testimony. Mark will face three trials, one each for the deaths of Mr. Griffin and David's grandmother, and one for the attempted murder of Susan. Mrs. Griffin leaves Susan a note that her husband had written before his death, praising Susan for her work and recognizing her potential.

On New Year's Eve, bellhop Sam (Marc Lawrence) of the Hotel Mon Signor briefs his replacement, Ted (Tim Roth).

The film's animated opening credits, inspired by the cartoons of ''The Pink Panther Show'', feature the scat song "Vertigogo" by Combustible Edison.

Honeymoon Suite – "The Missing Ingredient"

*Written and directed by Allison Anders Ted assists a group of unusual women with their luggage, which he brings to the Honeymoon Suite. He learns they are a coven of witches, attempting to reverse a spell cast on their goddess, Diana (Amanda De Cadenet). The ritual requires them each to place an ingredient into a large cauldron; however, one (Ione Skye) has still to retrieve her ingredient – semen – with one hour left. She seduces Ted and they have sex in the cauldron. He leaves and they complete the ritual, and Diana emerges from the cauldron.

After Ted's service in the honeymoon suite, a party guest from another room (Lawrence Bender) calls the front desk for some ice. He is unsure which floor he is on, but eventually directs Ted to Room 404.

Room 404 – "The Wrong Man"

*Written and directed by Alexandre Rockwell At Room 404, Ted finds himself in a fantasy hostage situation. Sigfried (David Proval) maniacally accuses Ted, whom he calls Theodore, of having slept with his wife Angela (Jennifer Beals). Ted is forced at gunpoint to participate in the scenario, uncertain what is real. He becomes stuck in the bathroom window as the party guest appears in the window above, uttering the word "ice" and vomiting. Ted escapes, just as another guest (Paul Skemp) arrives, looking for Room 404, and is greeted by Sigfried in the same manner.

Room 309 – "The Misbehavers"

*Written and directed by Robert Rodriguez A husband (Antonio Banderas) and wife (Tamlyn Tomita) leave for a New Year's Eve party, tipping Ted $500 to keep an eye on their children, Sarah and Juancho (Lana McKissack and Danny Verduzco). Ted instructs the children to stay in their room; when he leaves, they vandalize the room, exploding a bottle of champagne. They call Ted for toothbrushes, and he tries unsuccessfully to put them to bed. He leaves but is summoned back to find the room in further chaos: a painting has been turned into a dartboard with lipstick and a syringe, Juancho has a cigarette, Sarah has a bottle of liquor, the television is set to an adult channel, and the children have found a dead prostitute (Patricia Vonne) in the box spring. Sarah stabs Ted in the leg with the syringe when he repeatedly uses the word "whore" and Juancho accidentally sets the room on fire. Their father returns, carrying his passed-out wife, and asks Ted, "Did they misbehave?" The sprinkler system activates while everyone stands still.

Unsettled, Ted calls his boss Betty (Kathy Griffin) to quit. After a conversation with Margaret (Marisa Tomei), he gets Betty on the phone and tries to quit, but receives a call from the hotel penthouse. Betty convinces him to stay and tend to the guests.

Penthouse – "The Man from Hollywood"

*Written and directed by Quentin Tarantino, adapted from "Man from the South" by Roald Dahl

The penthouse is occupied by famous director Chester Rush (Tarantino) and his friends, including Angela. They request a block of wood, three nails, a ball of twine, a bucket of ice, a doughnut for Chester, a club sandwich for Angela, and a hatchet "as sharp as the Devil himself". Ted is invited to join their challenge: Chester's friend Norman (Paul Calderón) has bet he can light his Zippo cigarette lighter ten times in a row; if Norman succeeds, he will win Chester's car, but if he fails, his pinky will be cut off. Ted, asked to "wield the hatchet" should Norman fail, tries to leave, but Chester offers $100 to hear them out and another $900 to perform this assigned role. Norman's lighter fails on the first try, and Ted immediately chops off his pinky, sweeps up the money, and leaves the penthouse with an energetic step. As the credits roll, Chester and company frantically prepare to take a screaming Norman to the hospital.

The Narn military attacks Ragesh 3, a colony of their long-term enemy, the Centauri, destroying an orbiting space station before it can contact the Centauri homeworld.

The Centauri ambassador on the Babylon 5 station, Londo Mollari is informed of the attack, but the identity of the attackers is not known. Freezing a frame of a video broadcast, Londo identifies a Narn ship. Londo confronts the Narn ambassador, G'Kar, who says he has only just learned of the attack, countering that the Centauri have been making similar attacks and oppressing the Narn people for a very long time. A fight breaks out between them.

Londo apologizes to the station commander, Jeffrey Sinclair, but says he will kill G'Kar.

Meanwhile, raiders are attacking transport ships near the station, with more powerful weapons than they previously had.

G’Kar plays a video recording from Ragesh 3, where Londo’s nephew Carn appears to state that the Narn were invited to come to the colony.

After leading a force of Starfury fighter craft to defeat the raiders, Commander Sinclair finds a Narn agent and Narn weapons on the raiders' base. The agent has communication logs proving the Ragesh 3 attack was unprovoked and that Carn was forced to make the recorded statement at gunpoint. With this evidence revealed, G’Kar is forced to tell the Narn to withdraw their forces.

An unknown damaged ship appears through the jump gate and hurtles towards the Babylon 5 station. Commander Sinclair grapples the ship onboard the station with his Starfury fighter, and the ship's occupant is taken to MedLab. In MedLab, upon seeing the patient, the Minbari Ambassador, Delenn, suddenly enters a burst of rage, and tries to shoot the patient. She explains to Sinclair that the patient is a "Shak Tot", a soul hunter, a member of an ancient alien order who try to collect and preserve the souls of distinguished people at the moment of death. The Minbari despise them, considering them thieves and kidnappers, "ripping away that which is eternal". Delenn urges Sinclair to send the Soul Hunter away while he still can.

The alien population aboard the station has gone into hiding, and several ships have asked to leave the station ahead of schedule. The soul hunter explains to Sinclair that his order are not thieves, merely preservers. They had been prevented from "preserving" the soul of the Minbari leader Dukhat at the beginning of the Earth-Minbari War. Sinclair asks the soul hunter to leave as soon as his ship is repaired.

The soul hunter recognizes Delenn from his previous attempt to "preserve" Dukhat's soul for his collection, and identifies Delenn as a "Satai", a member of the nine-member ruling body of the Minbari people, asking he why, as a great leader of the Minbari, she is here playing ambassador.

A second soul hunter arrives on board Babylon 5. He explains to Sinclair that the first soul hunter is a disturbed renegade. Having failed to "preserve" Dukhat's soul, he has become increasingly frustrated and unstable; and he has turned to killing people before their natural death in order to capture their souls.

Meanwhile, the first soul hunter has kidnapped Delenn, and starts to drain her blood. Sinclair locates them, resulting in an exchange of gunfire. The soul hunter says, "Why do you fight for her? Don’t you understand? She is "Satai".... I've seen her soul: they’re using you." Sinclair is thrown to the ground. The soul hunter's soul-capturing machine, trained upon on Delenn, activates. Sinclair gets up and turns the soul-draining machine away from Delenn and trains the beam onto the soul hunter. The soul hunter cries out, "No!", as he falls to the ground, his soul being captured by the machine and transferred into a spherical soul vessel.

As Delenn recovers in the MedLab, Sinclair in his quarters does a search for the Minbari word "Satai". Later, Sinclair escorts the second soul hunter off the station, telling him that the soul hunters are not welcome aboard the station. The soul hunter enquires what became of his brother's collection of soul vessels.

Delenn sits cross-legged in his quarters, with the soul hunter's soul vessels, setting the souls free one by one.

Commander Jeffrey Sinclair is trying to negotiate a treaty between the Narn and Centauri governments over a disputed sector of space, with help of telepath Talia Winters. While Narn ambassador G'Kar cooperates freely, they have trouble drawing Centauri ambassador Mollari from his love interest, an exotic dancer named Adira Tyree. Unknown to them, Adira is a slave owned by Trakis who wants Adira to acquire Mollari's "purple files": files that contain high-level information about the Centauri government. Adira is conflicted between her love for Mollari, and Trakis' threats. She tricks Mollari into drinking a sleeping agent that gives her time to learn his passwords and access the files. However, when she is scheduled to trade them to Trakis, she flees.

Trakis approaches Mollari, convincing him that Adira was working against him, and showing him the papers which give Trakis ownership of Adira as his slave. Feeling scorned, Mollari continues to put off the negotiations in order to look for Adira. Commander Sinclair convinces Mollari to accept his help to search for Adira in exchange for agreeing to his terms. Meanwhile, Trakis hires criminals aboard the station to track down Adira. These men attack Sinclair and Mollari but soon are called off, as Adira has been found by Trakis. Sinclair, with G'Kar and Talia's help, tricks Trakis into revealing where he has kept Adira on the station. Mollari acquires Adira's ownership papers from Trakis and gives them to her. Mollari attempts to convince her to stay aboard Babylon 5 since the threat has passed, but she wants to return to a Centauri world.

Meanwhile, Garibaldi discovers that someone is using the high-priority secure gold channel to make external communications from the station, something that should only be authorized by Sinclair. He approaches Ivanova about it, and she suggests it might be the work of "gremlins". After several failed attempts, each of which has Ivanova suggesting Garibaldi look elsewhere, he manages to catch the channel being used again and finds that it is Ivanova herself speaking with her terminally-ill father. It is his last call to her, apologizing for being a bad father to her and making up to her before he dies. Garibaldi reports to Ivanova that he found that the source of the gold channel use was a computer glitch and has dealt with it, but he offers to buy her a drink later.

Dr Vance Hendricks, a former college lecturer of Dr Franklin, visits him while he is checking on the cause of recent death of a Babylon 5 customs worker. Hendricks tells Franklin that while excavating the long-dead planet Ikarra VII for the corporation Interplanetary Expeditions, they had come across some artifacts that they determined were organic in nature, and something that humanity has been trying to develop themselves. Hendricks has Nelson, his assistant, bring the artifacts in, but Franklin expresses concern that they have not been properly put through quarantine; Hendricks assures him that they were processed prior to arriving on the station. As Nelson prepares the artifacts for examination, he is hit him with an energy surge emanating from one of the artifacts. Over the next several hours, his body starts transforming, and unseen by the others, takes one of the devices and attaches it to himself.

The station staff, still investigating the sudden death of the customs worker, start to detect energy spikes on the station. Franklin and Hendricks realize that the Ikarra artifacts have infected Nelson and are transforming him into a weapon. Franklin studies the remaining artifacts to learn that the Ikarran people had developed these bio-weapons to fend off invaders to their planets, telling them protect the planet from anyone that was not a "pure" Ikarran. While the weapons held off the invaders, this instruction caused the weapons to turn on the Ikarrans since there was no such thing as a "pure" Ikarran. Nelson has now been transformed into one of these weapons, and will rampage through ''Babylon 5'', gaining power over time.

Franklin explains the situation to Commander Sinclair while the station is being put into lockdown. Sinclair decides to face the weapon alone, explaining how they had wiped out their creators because they could not determine what a pure Ikarran was. The weapon pulls off the device from its armor and crushes it before collapsing, returning Nelson back to normal. Back in medbay, Franklin assures Nelson is fine, but confronts Hendricks knowing that he had instructed Nelson to smuggle the Ikarra artifacts aboard; it was Nelson's intent to kill the customs worker which allowed the Ikarran artifacts to take over his body. Hendricks is arrested, while EarthForce arrives to acquire the weapons for their own bioweapons division.

The Earth Alliance arranges a week-long festival of religious and cultural exchange on Babylon 5. The Centauri celebrate with a lavish party, commemorating the victory of the Centauri over the other sentient life on their world, the Xon. At the end of each year, they look around and count how many of them survived and they celebrate their good fortune (rather than mourn those who have been killed). The Minbari host a session of prayers, a rebirth ceremony wherein the "old" self is "killed" and a new and better one is reborn.

A courier brings word to the Narn ambassador, G'Kar that an old political rival of his, Du'Rog, is arranging to have him assassinated. A paranoid G'Kar first suspects his new diplomatic attache, Na'Toth, but learns too late that the true assassin is the courier himself, the Thenta Makur member Tu'Pari. Shortly after, Tu'Pari begins subjecting G'Kar to a torture session mandated by terms of the assassination contract. Na'Toth discovers the assassin and intervenes, beating G'Kar in order to appear allied with Tu'Pari, but in actuality, deactivating the torture-inducing binds. G'Kar then easily captures Tu'Pari and then arranges for him to remain unconscious until his commission's deadline has passed, and depositing a large sum of money in his account to make it look like he was bribed into violating his commitment. Since the guild penalty for that is death, G'Kar and Na'Toth encourage him – with relish – to flee.

Jeffrey Sinclair meets an old flame, Catherine Sakai, and rekindles their on-off romantic relationship, before hosting a celebration of Earth religion in which he introduces the major station personnel to a line of people, all of different faiths (starting with an atheist)—the line extends some distance all the way to the final credits.

Jason Ironheart, Talia Winters' old instructor at Psi-Corps, arrives at Babylon 5, having recently evaded capture. Psi-Corps agents Alfred Bester and his assistant Kelsey arrive shortly thereafter, and meet with Sinclair, Ivanova, and Winters, warning them that Ironheart is aboard and they need to perform a manhunt for them. To verify that Winters has not yet met him, Bester and Kelsey put Winters under an intense mind probe, but find no contact. Sinclair asks Bester if there is any danger to the station from Ironheart, but Bester assures them he is safe.

Ironheart contacts Winters and asks her to visit. In his guest quarters, he explains that he is an advanced test subject from Psi-Corps, an attempt to raise the telepathic abilities of humans well beyond any known levels. The tests they performed on him gave him advanced telekinesis, for which he believes that Psi-Corps wants to use him as a secret assassin. However, his abilities are growing beyond his control, and as he speaks to Winters, he suffers a "mind quake", shaking the nearby area violently. He begs Winters to leave, after which he creates a psychic barrier around his quarters and several sections around it. Alerted to the situation, Sinclair accosts Bester in lying to him as one of his security men was injured trying to pass the barrier. Some time later, Winters convinces Ironheart to let her in. Ironheart warns Talia that he cannot control his powers and must leave the station. Winters discreetly relays this to Sinclair, who agrees to meet with Ironheart; after hearing his story, Sinclair agrees to help him escape. He has security clear a path to the docking bay, but Bester learns of this and attempts to stop them. As both Bester and Kelsey places Ironheart under a psychic assault, but Ironheart resists and uses his powers to psychically destroy Kelsey. Sinclair knocks Bester out, giving Winters time to escort Ironheart to his ship. Once launched, Ironheart's powers fully transform him into an ethereal being. He thanks Sinclair for his help and gives Winters a "gift" before his form departs. Later, Sinclair convinces Bester to lie in his report, that Ironheart was killed in his ship, otherwise he will threaten to show how Bester lied to him. That evening, in her quarters, Winters finds she now has primitive telekinesis.

Meanwhile, Catherine Sakai is told of a planet named Sigma 957 which an excavation company would like a survey of, willing to pay her a handsome sum for it. As she prepares, Narn ambassador G'Kar warns her not to go, as the planet is inhospitable and not worth the effort, but she goes anyway. When she arrives, a ship of alien origin passes hers in orbit before disappearing, and her ship loses power, causing her orbit to decay. However, she is rescued in time by two Narn fighters summoned to help her by G'Kar. Back on Babylon 5 she asks G'Kar why he helped, and he vaguely passes on a sound reason. She also asks about the ship, but G'Kar deflects this question as well, saying that there are beings that have been in the galaxy much longer than they have, and compares her encounter to that of an ant being picked up by a human - they might not even know she was there.

A string of attacks on aliens has occurred on Babylon 5, the latest being the stabbing and branding of Minbari poet, Shaal Mayan. Commander Sinclair is pressured by Minbari ambassador Delenn to find the culprit, and he orders Security Chief Garibaldi to investigate in depth. Narn ambassador G'kar, however, insists more action must be done, and beings to rally the other aliens aboard, creating a tense situation.

Meanwhile, Centauri ambassador Londo Mollari must deal with his aide Vir Cotto's cousin Kiron and his girlfriend Aria, who have fled the Centauri homeworld as they have been arranged to be wed into different families. Mollari asserts that it is Centauri morals for assigned marriages, love having no place in their society. That evening, Kiron and Aria are attacked in a similar manner to the previous attack, leaving Kiron in a coma.

Elsewhere, Ivanova discovers that her former associate from the academy, Malcolm Biggs, has arrived on the station. While he remains secretive as to his business reasons for being there, Malcolm does express interest in rekindling his relationship with Ivanova.

Aria stays by Kiron's side, but Mollari suggests that there is no point in Aria waiting around should Kiron die. After Aria leaves, Shaal talks to Mollari about love, and that that from her writings, she found that the measure of a value of a person is how much capacity they have to love and love others. Vir finds Mollari later: Mollari tells Vir a tale from his father who had complained that his shoes were too tight, but it did not matter as he had forgotten how to dance; Mollari now feels the same way.

When Kiron wakes, Mollari gladly tells him and Aria that he has arranged for the two to return to Centauri Prime and stay with his cousin, a powerful figure in the government, to be schooled in Centauri customs in such that when they are old enough, they will be able to choose who they can marry. This solution pleases both them and Vir.

Ivanova brings Malcolm to a reception where Sinclair purposely speaks out against the alien presence. Malcolm later invites Sinclair and Ivanova to a meeting, there introducing them to his agents that have been behind the attacks. Malcolm explains their intent to assassinate the four key ambassadors on Babylon 5 in an attempt to force the alien ambassadors off Earth. Sinclair and Ivanova turn on Malcolm and his men, as security officers arrive to arrest them.

As they are taken off the station, Ivanova expresses her resentment to Malcolm for the direction he has taken.

Two men meet aboard Babylon 5, and prepare a device. They gain the help of Benson, a security officer, who provides them with a power cell in exchange for paying off illegal gambling debts he owes. That night the two men abduct Commander Sinclair, use the device on him. Sinclair finds that he is trapped within a virtual reality illusionary environment, in which, one of his captors demands to know what happened to him at the Battle of the Line, the final battle in the Earth-Minbari war ten years earlier. Sinclair was leader of a squadron of fighters which was ambushed by Minbari vessels. While the rest of his squadron was wiped out, Sinclair managed to survive, though having lost a day's worth of memories. His captors want to know what he saw, in order to discover why the Minbari suddenly surrendered after Sinclair's disappearance.

Meanwhile, Security Chief Michael Garibaldi discovers that Sinclair is missing, and orders security teams to search the station. When he learns Benson is on one team, and that his gambling debts have been paid off, Garibaldi suspects Benson knows about Sinclair's disappearance. Benson returns to Sinclair's captors and begs for help, but they kill him and throw his body out through an airlock. The body which is later found by the station staff, who are then able to narrow down the likely area where Benson was killed.

Meanwhile, Sinclair struggles to fight off his captors' influence on him, but they eventually break through to his subconsciousness. Sinclair relives his experiences of the Battle of the Line. After his fighter was damaged, Sinclair was taken aboard a Minbari vessel and was taken to the Grey Council, the ruling body of Minbar. Sinclair demanded to know who they were, and pulled the hood off one of them, to reveal Delenn. The Grey Council knocked Sinclair out, scanned him, and returned him to his ship so as to be found by human forces. The trauma of reliving the event for Sinclair enables him to escape his bonds, slamming the device into one captor, shocking him, and stunning the other one. As Sinclair runs, he is still heavily sedated and experiences hallucinations of the Grey Council instead of the regular station staff, and threatens to shoot any that cross his path. Garibaldi sets off to stop him, as well as Minbar ambassador Delenn. At the Zocolo, Garibaldi tries to convince Sinclair of his hallucinatory condition, but when Delenn appears, Sinclair recognizes her. He breaks out of his trace in time to kill the pursuing captor.

Dr Franklin helps purge the sedatives from Sinclair's body. Learning that Earth's government has taken custody of the surviving captor, Sinclair tries to interview him before he is taken away, but discovers he has no memories of what happened. Sinclair goes to see Delenn, who asks if he remembered anything he saw; Sinclair feigns that he had forgotten it and leaves, only to record his memories in his personal log that night. A Minbari official approaches Delenn to see if Sinclair had remembered anything, saying that if he should ever recall his encounter with the Grey Council, he must be killed.

Act I

Peer Gynt is the son of the once highly regarded Jon Gynt. Jon Gynt spent all his money on feasting and living lavishly, and had to leave his farm to become a wandering salesman, leaving his wife and son behind in debt. Åse, the mother, wished to raise her son to restore the lost fortune of his father, but Peer is soon to be considered useless. He is a poet and a braggart, not unlike the youngest son from Norwegian fairy tales, the "Ash Lad", with whom he shares some characteristics.

As the play opens, Peer gives an account of a reindeer hunt that went awry, a famous theatrical scene generally known as "the Buckride". His mother scorns him for his vivid imagination, and taunts him because he spoiled his chances with Ingrid, the daughter of the richest farmer. Peer leaves for Ingrid's wedding, scheduled for the following day, because he may still get a chance with the bride. His mother follows quickly to stop him from shaming himself completely.

At the wedding, the other guests taunt and laugh at Peer, especially the local blacksmith, Aslak, who holds a grudge after an earlier brawl. In the same wedding, Peer meets a family of Haugean newcomers from another valley. He instantly notices the elder daughter, Solveig, and asks her to dance. She refuses because her father would disapprove, and because Peer's reputation has preceded him. She leaves, and Peer starts drinking. When he hears the bride has locked herself in, he seizes the opportunity, runs away with her, and spends the night with her in the mountains.

Act II

Peer is banished for kidnapping Ingrid. As he wanders the mountains, his mother and Solveig's father search for him. Peer meets three amorous dairymaids who are waiting to be courted by trolls (a folklore motif from Gudbrandsdalen). He becomes highly intoxicated with them and spends the next day alone suffering from a hangover. He runs head-first into a rock and swoons, and the rest of the second act probably takes place in Peer's dreams.

He comes across a woman clad in green, who claims to be the daughter of the troll mountain king. Together they ride into the mountain hall, and the troll king gives Peer the opportunity to become a troll if Peer would marry his daughter. Peer agrees to a number of conditions, but declines in the end. He is then confronted with the fact that the green-clad woman has become pregnant. Peer denies this; he claims not to have touched her, but the wise troll king replies that he begat the child in his head. Crucial for the plot and understanding of the play is the question asked by the troll king: "What is the difference between troll and man?"

The answer given by the Old Man of the Mountain is: "Out there, where sky shines, humans say: 'To thyself be true.' In here, trolls say: 'Be true to yourself and to hell with the world.'" Egotism is a typical trait of the trolls in this play. From then on, Peer uses this as his motto, always proclaiming that he is himself. He then meets the Bøyg — a creature who has no real description. Asked the question "Who are you?" the Bøyg answers, "Myself". In time, Peer also takes the Bøyg's important saying as a motto: "Go around". The rest of his life, he "beats around the bush" instead of facing himself or the truth.

Upon awaking, Peer is confronted by Helga, Solveig's sister, who gives him food and regards from her sister. Peer gives the girl a silver button for Solveig to keep and asks that she not forget him.

Act III

As an outlaw, Peer struggles to build his own cottage in the hills. Solveig turns up and insists on living with him. She has made her choice, she says, and there will be no return for her. Peer is delighted and welcomes her, but as she enters the cabin, an old-looking woman in green garments appears with a limping boy at her side.

This is the green-clad woman from the mountain hall, and her half-human brat is the child begotten by Peer from his mind during his stay there. She has cursed Peer by forcing him to remember her and all his previous sins, when facing Solveig. Peer hears a ghostly voice saying "Go roundabout, Peer", and decides to leave. He tells Solveig he has something heavy to fetch. He returns in time for his mother's death, and then sets off overseas.

Act IV

Peer is away for many years, taking part in various occupations and playing various roles, including that of a businessman engaged in enterprises on the coast of Morocco. Here, he explains his view of life, and we learn that he is a businessman taking part in unethical transactions, including sending heathen images to China and trading slaves. In his defense, he points out that he has also sent missionaries to China, and he treated his slaves well.

His companions rob him, after he decides to support the Turks in suppressing a Greek revolt, and leave him alone on the shore. He then finds some stolen Bedouin gear, and, in these clothes, he is hailed as a prophet by a local tribe. He tries to seduce Anitra, the chieftain's daughter, but she steals his money and rings, gets away, and leaves him.

Then he decides to become a historian and travels to Egypt. He wanders through the desert, passing the Colossi of Memnon and the Sphinx. As he addresses the Sphinx, believing it to be the Bøyg, he encounters the keeper of the local madhouse, himself insane, who regards Peer as the bringer of supreme wisdom. Peer comes to the madhouse and understands that all of the patients live in their own worlds, being themselves to such a degree that no one cares for anyone else. In his youth, Peer had dreamt of becoming an emperor. In this place, he is finally hailed as one — the emperor of the "self". Peer despairs and calls for the "Keeper of all fools", i.e., God.

Act V

Finally, on his way home as an old man, he is shipwrecked. Among those on board, he meets the Strange Passenger, who wants to make use of Peer's corpse to find out where dreams have their origin. This passenger scares Peer out of his wits. Peer lands on shore bereft of all of his possessions, a pitiful and grumpy old man.

Back home in Norway, Peer Gynt attends a peasant funeral and an auction, where he offers for sale everything from his earlier life. The auction takes place at the very farm where the wedding once was held. Peer stumbles along and is confronted with all that he did not do, his unsung songs, his unmade works, his unwept tears, and his questions that were never asked. His mother comes back and claims that her deathbed went awry; he did not lead her to heaven with his ramblings.

Peer escapes and is confronted with the Button-molder, who maintains that Peer's soul must be melted down with other faulty goods unless he can explain when and where in life he has been "himself". Peer protests. He has been only that, and nothing else. Then he meets the troll king, who states that Peer has been a troll, not a man, most of his life.

The Button-molder says that he has to come up with something if he is not to be melted down. Peer looks for a priest to whom to confess his sins, and a character named "The Lean One" (who is the Devil) turns up. The Lean One believes Peer cannot be counted a real sinner who can be sent to Hell; he has committed no grave sin.

Peer despairs in the end, understanding that his life is forfeit; he is nothing. But at the same moment, Solveig starts to sing—the cabin Peer built is close at hand, but he dares not enter. The Bøyg in Peer tells him "go around". The Button-molder shows up and demands a list of sins, but Peer has none to give, unless Solveig can vouch for him. Then Peer breaks through to Solveig, asking her to forgive his sins. But she answers: "You have not sinned at all, my dearest boy."

Peer does not understand—he believes himself lost. Then he asks her: "Where has Peer Gynt been since we last met? Where was I as the one I should have been, whole and true, with the mark of God on my brow?" She answers: "In my faith, in my hope, in my love." Peer screams, calls his mother, and hides himself in her lap. Solveig sings her lullaby for him, and we might presume he dies in this last scene of the play, although there are neither stage directions nor dialogue to indicate that he actually does.

Behind the corner, the Button-molder, who is sent by God, still waits, with the words: "Peer, we shall meet at the last crossroads, and then we shall see if... I'll say no more."

Helen Alving is about to dedicate an orphanage she has built in memory of her late husband. Despite his affairs, Mrs. Alving stayed with him to protect her son Oswald from the taint of scandal and for fear of being shunned by the community.

In the course of the play, she discovers that Oswald (whom she had sent away to avoid his being corrupted by his father) is suffering from syphilis that she believes he inherited from his father. She also discovers that Oswald has fallen in love with her maid Regina Engstrand, who is revealed to be the illegitimate daughter of Captain Alving and is therefore Oswald's half-sister.

A sub-plot involves a carpenter, Jacob Engstrand, who married Regina's mother when she was already pregnant. He regards Regina as his own daughter. He is unaware, or pretends to be, that Captain Alving was Regina's father. Having recently completed his work building Mrs. Alving's orphanage, Engstrand announces his ambition to open a hostel for seafarers. He tries to persuade Regina to leave Mrs. Alving and help him run the hostel, but she refuses. The night before the orphanage is due to open, Engstrand asks Pastor Manders to hold a prayer-meeting there. Later that night, the orphanage burns down. Earlier, Manders had persuaded Mrs. Alving not to insure the orphanage, as to do so would imply a lack of faith in divine providence. Engstrand says the blaze was caused by Manders' carelessness with a candle and offers to take the blame, which Manders readily accepts. Manders in turn offers to support Engstrand's hostel.

When Regina and Oswald's sibling relationship is exposed, Regina departs, leaving Oswald in anguish. He asks his mother to help him avoid the late stages of syphilis with a fatal morphine overdose. She agrees, but only if it becomes necessary. The play concludes with Mrs. Alving having to confront the decision of whether or not to euthanize her son in accordance with his wishes.

First act

At the beginning of the play, we find Brand in the mountains confronting different kinds of people: a farmer traveling with his son, who does not dare to brave a dangerous glacier on behalf of his dying daughter; Einar, a young painter with an easy-going attitude, and his fiancée, Agnes; and finally, a fifteen-year-old girl, Gerd, who claims to know of a bigger church in the mountains and hunts for a great hawk.

Einar and Brand were in school together, and their conversation ends in a long discussion about God. Brand taunts Einar for portraying God as an old man, who "sees through his fingers", and wants to envision God as a young, heroic saviour. He believes that people have become too sloppy about their sins and shortcomings, because of the dogma that Christ, through his sacrifice, cleansed humanity once and for all.

Brand vows to confront the three mindsets he has just met: the lazy mind (the farmer), the undisciplined mind (Einar), and the wild mind (Gerd). He ponders humanity's purpose and the difference between what is, and what should be. Here, we find the famous sentence: ''What you are, be fully, not in parts and pieces''.

Second act

Brand enters the valley in which he was born, and finds great famine and need. The local bailiff distributes bread for the hungry in strict rations, and Brand questions the need for it. Meanwhile, a mother comes from the other side of the fjord, telling of her husband who needs absolution, because he, in dire need, killed one of his children rather than seeing him starve. Then he harmed himself. Nobody dares to venture the rough fjord, but Brand goes in a boat and, to his surprise, Agnes follows him. Gerd eggs him on, screaming from the hills above. Together, Brand and Agnes sail across the fjord, and the man gets his absolution. Brand muses over the remaining children, and what this experience might do to them, when a couple of farmers show up and demand that he stay with them as their priest. Brand is reluctant to do this, but they use his own words against him, and he gives in.

Agnes, sitting on the beach, reflects and tells of an "inner world being born" in one of Ibsen's best known soliloquies. She renounces her former fiancé Einar and chooses Brand. In the end of the second act, we meet Brand's mother, and learn that he grew up under the glacier, in a dreary place with no sun. His mother robbed his father while he was on his deathbed, and as a consequence, Brand does not want her money, but she urges him to take it.

Third act

Some years later, Brand and Agnes live together with their son, Alf, who is grievously ill because of the climate. The local doctor urges him to leave for the sake of his son, and he hesitates. Meanwhile, Brand's mother is dying, and Brand impresses on her that she will not get her priest unless she gives all her money to charity. She refuses to do so, and so Brand refuses to go to her.

On the question of his son's health, the doctor points out that it is right to be "humane", whereas Brand answers: "Was God humane towards his son?" He states that by modern standards, the sacrifice of Christ would have boiled down to a "diplomatic heavenly charter", and no more. He clearly means that there is a difference between being a "human", and being a "humanist". In the end he almost gives in, but the farmers come to him and plead with him to stay. Then Gerd shows up, and states that evil forces will prevail if he leaves. The final straw is when she points out that the son is his "false god". Then he gives in and stays, knowing this will take his son's life. It is clear, however, that he wants Agnes to choose for him, and she answers: "Go the road your God appointed for you".

Fourth act

After the death of his son, Brand schemes to build a bigger church in the parish. The old one is too small to encompass his visions. He has hardened somewhat, and refuses to mourn. Agnes comforts herself with the clothes of her dead child, Alf.

The local bailiff, who visits Brand in his home, is mostly opposed to Brand, but tells him that he has growing support in the parish and explains his own plans for building public institutions like a poorhouse, a jail and a political hall. The bailiff reveals that Brand's mother was forced to break with her true love, and married an old miser instead. The boy she loved then became involved with a Roma woman, resulting in the birth of Gerd. Brand is the result of the other, clearly loveless affair, and the bailiff suggests that there is some kind of spiritual sibling relationship between Brand and Gerd. After the bailiff leaves, a Roma woman arrives, demanding clothes for her freezing child (it is Christmas Eve). Brand then puts Agnes to the test, and gradually, she gives all of Alf's clothes to the Roma woman. As a result of this, Agnes renounces her life, and exclaims "I'm free". Brand accepts with effort, and Agnes dies.

Fifth act

Brand gets his new church built (in the 1860s, many old Norwegian churches were being rebuilt as new, larger places of worship). Brand comes to believe that his new church is still too small, and rebels against the authorities, the local dean and the bailiff. The provost talks about getting people to heaven "by the parish", and denounces individual thinking. The provost's speech should be examined in detail, also because he has a vision of the masses "marching with equal steps" towards salvation, and stressing that egality matters more to the church than freedom. This speech has been interpreted as holding a fascist undertone. In fact, the provost mentions that the ideal of a religious leader is "a corporal" that shall hold the masses in line. Rendered in Norwegian, the word "fører-ideal" is used in this passage (rhyming on corporal), something that to Norwegian (and German) ears easily could be interpreted as a foreshadowing of Hitler (''fører'' = ''führer''). Brand's answers to this are mostly sarcastic. The provost ends his speech mentioning the "erasing of God in the soul of man", something of which he seems to approve. Brand, of course, wants the opposite: individual freedom and a clear picture of God in man's soul.

Einar returns as a gloomy missionary soon after the provost's friendly speech. He has worked out a view of life that makes Brand shiver. Whereas Brand mourns the loss of his wife, Einar in the end thinks her death was righteous, because he regards her as a female seducer. Upon learning this, Brand shoves him off.

In the end, Brand protests the heavy plight lain upon him by his elders, and throws the key to the church into the fjord and makes for the mountain with the entire parish following him. He makes a speech, and urges the people to "lift their faith", to make their Christianity surge through their entire existence, and in a way make a "Church without limits" that is meant to embrace all sides of life. In the end, he states that they all shall be priests in the task of relieving all people in the country from mental thralldom. The other clergymen protest against this because they no longer have any sway over their flock. Brand is greatly loved and respected by the common people, but the test is in the end too hard. They are lured down to the valley again by the bailiff, who fakes news of great economic opportunity (a large amount of fish in the sea). The same people who followed Brand, then chase him with stones in their hands. Brand is then left alone, struggling with doubt, remorse, and temptation, "the spirit of compromise". He does not yield to it, even when the spirit claims to be Agnes, something Brand doubts. The spirit says that the fall of man forever closed the gates to Paradise, but Brand states that the road of longing is still open. Then the spirit flees and says: "Die! The world does not need you!". Brand meets Gerd again, who thinks she sees the saviour in him, and Brand denies this. At the very end of the play, Gerd takes him to the glacier, her personal church, and Brand recoils when understanding where he is, the "Ice-cathedral". He breaks down in tears. Gerd, who has been hunting the hawk from the start of the play, fires a shot at it, and lets loose a great avalanche, which in the end buries the entire valley.

In his dying words at the end of the play, Brand screams out to God, asking, "Does not salvation consider the will of man?" The final words are from an unknown voice: "He is the god of caritas." What this line means has been debated. One interpretation is that Brand left love out of his worldview. Another might be that, being the god of love, God does not forget Brand after all.

Race teams have gathered in Connecticut to start a cross-country car race. One at a time, teams drive up to the starters' stand, punch a time card to indicate their time of departure, then take off.

Among the teams: * JJ McClure, a famous racing driver and team owner, and Victor Prinzi, his chief mechanic and sometime co-driver, drive a Dodge Tradesman ambulance fitted with a NASCAR engine. * Former F1 icon (and Scotch-swilling) Jamie Blake and his (gambling-obsessed) teammate Morris Fenderbaum, dressed as Catholic priests, drive a red Ferrari 308 GTS 1979. * Jill Rivers and Marcie Thatcher, two attractive women who use their looks to their advantage, start the race in a black Lamborghini Countach. * Two drivers race in a high-tech, computer-laden Subaru GL 4WD hatchback with a rocket booster engine. * A pair of good ol' boys, drive a street-legal replica of Donnie Allison's Hawaiian Tropic-sponsored NASCAR Winston Cup Series Chevrolet stock car owned by Hoss Ellington. * Seymour Goldfarb, Jr., a rich British playboy who believes himself to be Roger Moore, who drives a silver Aston Martin DB5. * A wealthy oil-rich Middle-Eastern sheikh, driving a white Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow.

At the starting line, observing from the shadows, is Mr. Arthur J. Foyt, a representative of the "Safety Enforcement Unit", who tries to stop the race because of its environmental effects and safety issues. In the car with Foyt is a photographer and tree lover, Pamela Glover.

Beyond the starting line, JJ and Victor (driving their ambulance) come across Foyt and Glover, who have been involved in a minor accident. Glover implores JJ and Victor to help, but when they tell Foyt to enter the ambulance through the back door, they kidnap Glover and take off without Foyt.

As the race progresses, Victor occasionally turns into his alter ego, superhero "Captain Chaos". Dr. Van Helsing and his huge hypodermic needle are also in the ambulance to "help" keep Glover quiet during the race.

Various teams are shown either evading law enforcement, most of which deal with talking their way out of a possible ticket, or concocting crazy schemes to outmaneuver their opponents. * Jill and Marcie use sex appeal as their weapon, unzipping their race suits to display copious amounts of cleavage during traffic stops. * In New Jersey, the ambulance is pulled over by state troopers. Dr. Van Helsing drugs Glover, and JJ and Victor are able to convince the troopers that they're rushing "the Senator's wife" to UCLA for medical treatment (offering the theory, which to JJ and Victor's happy surprise is Van Helsing's idea, that her condition prevents them from flying, or from even driving through Denver). * The Subaru team is able to turn off their car's headlights and use infrared sensors for racing at night. * Seymour Goldfarb is frequently shown evading police by using various James Bond-type gadgets, such as oil slicks, smoke screens, switchable license plates, all installed in his Aston Martin DB5. * Mr. Compton and "Super Chief" Finch disguise themselves as a newlywed couple on a motorcycle, but Finch's extra weight forces the two to ride cross-country in a continuous wheelie.

The primary rivalry is between the ambulance and the Ferrari. In Ohio, Fenderbaum and Blake are able to convince Victor to stop the ambulance in order to bless the patient on board. While Blake administers the blessing, Fenderbaum flattens one of the ambulance's rear tires. JJ achieves revenge in Missouri by convincing a nearby police officer that the two men dressed as priests are actually Communists and sex perverts who are responsible for the flashing victim in the ambulance.

The leading teams find themselves stopped on a desert highway, waiting for construction workers to clear the road. A biker gang arrives and harasses Compton and Finch. It quickly escalates into a melee. "Captain Chaos" emerges to fight the bikers. The Subaru team also joins the fight. The construction crew announces that the road is open, so the teams sprint back to their cars to resume the race.

The ambulance falls behind the pack until Victor once again becomes Captain Chaos. The vehicles all arrive at the final destination at the same time, resulting in a foot race to the finish line. JJ hands his team's time card to Victor, then ambushes the remaining racers, leaving only Victor and one of the Lamborghini women, Marcie. Just when it appears Victor will reach the time clock first, a spectator shouts that her "baby" has fallen into the water. Victor, still in his Captain Chaos persona, rushes to save the baby (later revealed to be the spectator's dog), allowing Marcie to clock in first and win the race.

JJ is furious and never wants to see Captain Chaos again, but Victor replies that he does not care, becoming the persona he really wants to be, Captain USA. JJ laughs and hugs him. Foyt reappears and blames everyone for ruining the American highway. Seymour offers a cigar and tells Foyt to use the lighter in his car, which activates an ejection seat when pushed. Nothing happens at first, but when Seymour presses the button, he (Seymour) goes flying into the water.

They were The Mod Squad ("One black, one white, one blonde"), described by one critic as "the hippest and first young undercover cops on TV". Each of these characters represented mainstream culture's principal fears regarding youth in the era: long-haired rebel Pete Cochran (Cole) was evicted from his wealthy parents's Beverly Hills home, then arrested and put on probation after he stole a car; Lincoln Hayes (Williams III), who came from a family of 13 children, was arrested in the Watts riots, one of the longest and most violent riots in Los Angeles history; flower child Julie Barnes (Lipton), the "canary with a broken wing," was arrested for vagrancy after running away from her prostitute mother's San Francisco home; and Captain Adam Greer (Andrews) was a tough but sympathetic mentor and father figure who convinced them to form the squad.

The concept was to take three rebellious, disaffected young social outcasts and convince them to work as unarmed undercover detectives as an alternative to being incarcerated. Their youthful, hippie personas would enable them to get close to the criminals they would investigate. "The times are changing," Captain Greer explained. "They can get into places we (the regular police) can't." Examples included their infiltrations of a high school to solve a teacher's murder, of an underground newspaper to find a bomber, and of an acting class to look for a strangler who was preying on blonde actresses.

More than a year before the release of the film ''Easy Rider'', ''The Mod Squad'' was one of the earliest attempts to deal with the counterculture. Groundbreaking in the realm of socially relevant drama, it dealt with issues such as abortion, domestic violence, child abuse, illiteracy, slumlords, the anti-war movement, illegal immigration, police brutality, student protest, sex education, soldiers returning from Vietnam and PTSD, racism, euthanasia, and the illegal drug trade. Spelling intended the show to be about the characters's relationships, and he promised that the Squad "would never arrest kids...or carry a gun or use one."

The show was loosely based on creator Bud "Buddy" Ruskin's experiences in the late 1950s as a squad leader for young undercover narcotics cops, though it took almost 10 years after he wrote a script for the idea to be green-lighted by ABC Television Studios.

''Outlaw Star'' is a space opera/space Western set in the fictional universe. During its past, an asteroid containing a material known as "dragonite" crashed in the fictional Arashon desert of northern China. Scientists found that the dragonite contained properties related to "ether", an energy source that would allow spacecraft to travel faster than the speed of light, and thus traverse large distances of the universe in a short time. As new colonies were formed throughout the vast reaches of outer space, pirates, assassins, and outlaws began to threaten humanity's new frontier. To create order, the Earth Federation established four empires: USSA, Einhorn, Piotr, and Tenpa. However, internal power struggles within the factions and conflicts amongst one another become abundant, leading to inevitable lawlessness. The storyline starts shortly after an infamous outlaw named "Hot Ice" Hilda flees from the Kei Pirates, a branch of the Tin'Pa. Hilda has stolen from them a highly-advanced prototype ship dubbed the ''XGP15A-II'' and a suitcase containing a bio-android called Melfina, the only being capable of interfacing with the ship.

''Outlaw Star'' opens on the backwater planet Sentinel III, on which the protagonist Gene Starwind and his 11-year-old business associate and best friend James "Jim" Hawking run a small jack-of-all-trades business. After the two take a job as bodyguards for a disguised Hilda and engage in a brief skirmish with the Kei Pirates, Gene and Jim find themselves the owners of the XGP15A-II (which they nickname the "Outlaw Star") and the caretakers of Melfina, though Hilda is killed in the process. Hilda reveals that the ship's true purpose is to locate the , a place which popular claims say is a holder of immense treasure, knowledge, and power. Throughout the course of the series, the crew grows to include the kimono-garbed contract killer "Twilight" Suzuka and the Ctarl-Ctarl alien catgirl Aisha Clanclan.

The ''Outlaw Star'' manga series and animated television series are paced differently. The anime episodes often involve Gene and his comrades taking on various jobs or missions to fund their ship's massive maintenance costs. Throughout their travels, the crew often encounters Ronald MacDougall and Harry MacDougall, a pair of bounty hunters responsible for the death of Gene's father. Ronald acts as a rival to Gene, while Harry wishes to form a bond with Melfina, a bio-android like himself, who instead develops strong feelings for Gene. The crew also contends with others that learn of the Outlaw Star's connection to the Galactic Leyline. They are Nguyen Khan, a scientist wishing to gain omniscience through the Leyline; and Lord Hazanko, the leader of the ruthless assassin organization the Anten Seven that seek the Leyline to gain ultimate power. The series climaxes when all parties meet on the physical plane of the Leyline. In the end, Ron MacDougall retreats, saved by a computer copy of his brother Harry (who is killed trying to protect Melfina from Hazanko), Khan is integrated into the Leyline as data, Gene reveals to Melfina that he is in love with her and frees her from the Leyline by making it their shared wish to be together forever, and Hazanko is eventually defeated by the Outlaw Star crewmembers. Once the conflict comes to a close, Gene and his friends return to Sentinel III and go their separate ways, but ultimately reunite to continue their adventures together.

Sylvie Cooper is a young girl at a private school for the wealthy. At a local hangout, she first meets Ivy, a street-smart but poor girl, and witnesses Ivy mercy-killing a heavily wounded dog.

In their second meeting, when Sylvie's father Darryl comes to pick her up, Ivy asks for a ride, and Darryl reluctantly agrees. Ivy makes an excuse to sit in the front with Darryl. She puts her feet on the dashboard and deliberately allows her mini-skirt to fall back onto her hip, revealing her legs, which Darryl notices.

A few weeks later, Sylvie invites Ivy to her house. She tells Ivy that Darryl is her adoptive father and that her biological father is African-American. She also says that she once tried to kill herself. They meet Sylvie's sickly mother, Georgie, whom Ivy later wins over by talking about her scholarship and helping her unblock her oxygen tank.

Soon after, as both of Sylvie's parents enjoy Ivy's company, they practically allow Ivy to move in. Ivy and Sylvie share clothes and sleep in the same bed. As they have similar figures, Georgie lends Ivy some of her clothes.

In an attempt to improve his failing career, Darryl decides to throw a party at his house, and enlists Sylvie to help him. However, Sylvie is needed at work on the night of the party, which is orchestrated by Ivy so that she will be the one to assist Darryl. After the party, she dances with Darryl in the kitchen and they hug. Georgie walks in on them and storms upstairs. Ivy apologizes to Georgie and claims that Darryl was under stress and she was only comforting him. Georgie believes Ivy, accepts a glass of champagne drugged with sleeping pills, and falls asleep. Ivy sits on the bed next to Georgie and begins to massage Darryl with her foot while he kisses her legs.

Over the next few days, Ivy continues changing her appearance and wears Georgie's clothing more often. Sylvie becomes increasingly irritated with Ivy for her growing presence in her family, and her anger reaches a breaking point when even her dog chooses Ivy over her, which in fact is because Ivy has some dog treats in her pockets. Sylvie skips school and tries to spend some time alone. Darryl picks Ivy up and they go into the forest, where she gets him drunk and has sex with him.

The next morning, Georgie plays a cassette tape that Sylvie made for her and walks out onto her balcony. Ivy walks up behind Georgie, talks to her and without warning, pushes her off the balcony to her death. Because Georgie is known to have a mental illness, and has threatened to commit suicide previously, Ivy is not suspected. A few weeks later, Sylvie talks Ivy into going for a ride in her mother's sports car. When Sylvie becomes suspicious of her involvement in Georgie's death, Ivy crashes the car, then moves the unconscious Sylvie into the driver's seat.

In the hospital, Sylvie hallucinates that her mother is sitting in front of her. This inspires her to get back to her house in an attempt to save her father from Ivy. When she gets to her house, there is a raging storm. She runs inside to get out of the rain, experiencing hallucinations all along the way. When she gets inside, she sees Darryl and Ivy having sex, and flees the room.

As Darryl runs outside to look for Sylvie, Ivy runs out after him, accidentally revealing that she was behind the wheel; due to scarring on her chest. She lies, claiming that it was to protect him. He drives off to find Sylvie and Ivy goes up to Georgie's old room, plays the tape Sylvie made for Georgie, wears Georgie's robe and walks out to the balcony. Sylvie sees Ivy and, because of her head injury, believes that it is her mother and makes her way to the balcony. Sylvie tells Georgie that she loves her and Georgie says she loves Sylvie too. When they kiss, Ivy begins to use her tongue, which breaks Sylvie out of her hallucination. Ivy says Georgie wanted to die and now the three of them can be a family. Sylvie rejects her delusion and pushes Ivy over the balcony, but Ivy holds onto Sylvie's necklace in an attempt to take Sylvie with her. Her attempt backfires, as the chain breaks, and a screaming Ivy falls to her death alone. Darryl returns to see Ivy's corpse on the ground with Sylvie above.

The film ends with Sylvie narrating that she still loves and misses "her", following the parallel between Ivy and Georgie.

After President Clark declares martial law, General Hague's fleet of ships are attacked by Earth Alliance forces. Only Hague's flagship, the ''Alexander'', survives, and travels to ''Babylon 5'' for repairs. Delenn brings Dr. Franklin to attend to a Minbari Ranger, injured while returning to the station with key information. The Minbari reports that the Shadows have engaged the Non-Aligned Worlds in civil and interplanetary wars, creating chaos. Delenn decides to see the Grey Council, angered by their ambivalent response to the situation.

When the ''Alexander'' arrives, Sheridan learns that General Hague was killed in an attack. His second-in-command, Major Ryan, has attempted to continue Hague's resistance. President Clark orders the bombing of the Mars colony, which is resisting the martial law order. Hundreds of civilians are killed. The news network ISN, which has avoided broadcasting material critical of Clark, reports that the Proxima III and Orion VII colonies have seceded from the Earth Alliance. The television station is raided by Earth Alliance forces, terminating their broadcast. Another ship arrives, the ''Churchill'', under Captain Sandra Hiroshi. She warns that the Earth Alliance is aware of the ''Alexander'' s presence and ships are en route to seize control of the station. Sheridan enlists G'Kar's Narn to augment his security forces under Garibaldi. Sheridan then announces ''Babylon 5'' s secession from the Earth Alliance.

Delenn reaches the Grey Council. When they refuse to speak with her, she barges into their chamber and addresses them, warning that all of their prophecies have come to pass. She declares the Council broken and departs, supported by the worker and religious caste council members.

The Alliance ships ''Agrippa'' and ''Roanoke'' arrive, demanding the station's surrender. A firefight breaks out. Garibaldi, his security forces, and the Narn stop a boarding party, incurring many Narn losses. The ''Churchill'' is critically damaged and Hiroshi uses the last of its power to ram the ''Roanoke'', destroying both vessels. The combined forces of the station and ''Alexander'' destroy the ''Agrippa''. As they assess the damage, more Earth Alliance ships arrive demanding ''Babylon 5'' s surrender. Suddenly additional jump points open and Minbari warships arrive. Delenn warns the Earth Alliance ships that ''Babylon 5'' is under Minbari protection. The Earth Alliance ships withdraw.

As the station and ''Alexander'' complete repairs, Ryan states he will depart, hoping to split the Alliance's attention. Ivanova leads Sheridan to the Zocalo, where the residents applaud Sheridan's decision to have ''Babylon 5'' take a stand against Clark.

Robin of Loxley is captured during the Crusades and is imprisoned in Jerusalem. With the help of fellow inmate Asneeze, he escapes and frees the other inmates. Upon returning to England, Robin finds Asneeze's son, Ahchoo, and discovers that Prince John has assumed control while King Richard is away fighting in the Crusades. Unbeknownst to Richard, the prince is abusing his power. Robin returns to his family home, Loxley Hall, only to find it being repossessed by John's men. His family's blind servant, Blinkin, informs Robin that his family is dead, and his father left him a key which opens "the greatest treasure in all the land."

Robin recruits Little John and Will Scarlet O'Hara to help regain his father's land and oust Prince John from the throne. On his quest, Robin attracts the attention of Maid Marian of Bagelle, who wants to find the man who has the key to her Everlast chastity belt. They are also joined by Rabbi Tuckman, who shares with them his sacramental wine and bargain circumcisions.

While Robin is training his band of tights-clad Merry Men, the spoonerism-spouting Sheriff of Rottingham hires the Mafioso Don Giovanni to assassinate Robin at the Spring Festival. They plan to hold an archery tournament to attract Robin. Maid Marian hears of the plot, and sneaks out of her castle to warn Robin, accompanied by her heavyset, German lady-in-waiting, Broomhilde.

At the archery tournament, a disguised Robin makes it to the final round, but loses after his arrow is split in two by his opponent. Confused that he lost, Robin reviews the movie's script to discover that he gets another shot. Giovanni's assassin attempts to kill Robin by shooting at him with a scoped crossbow, but Blinkin catches the arrow in midair. Robin then takes the second shot, this time using a special "PATRIOT arrow", hitting the target. Robin is arrested, with Marian promising to marry the Sheriff to spare his life.

Robin and the Merry Men interrupt the wedding between the Sheriff and Maid Marian. She is carried off to the tower by the Sheriff, who wants to deflower her but cannot open her chastity belt. Robin arrives and duels the sheriff, during which Robin's key falls into the lock of Marian's chastity belt.

After winning the fight Robin spares the Sheriff's life only to miss his sheath and accidentally run the Sheriff through. The witch Latrine, Prince John's cook and adviser, saves him by giving him a magical Life Saver in exchange for marriage. Before Robin and Marian can attempt to open the lock, Broomhilde arrives, insisting they get married first. Rabbi Tuckman conducts the ceremony, but they are suddenly interrupted by King Richard, recently returned from the Crusades, who orders Prince John to be taken away to the Tower of London and made part of the tour.

Robin and Marian are married, and Ahchoo is made the new sheriff of Rottingham. That night, Robin and Maid Marian attempt to open the chastity belt, only to discover that even with the key, the lock won't open. The film ends with Robin calling for a locksmith.

At the Park County Fair, the boys find a man selling East Asian weapons. The vendor says he cannot sell weapons to them without their parents' approval, so they lie that their parents are dead and that they have no money, convincing the shopkeeper to give them weapons anyway. Stan purchases a pair of Tonfa, Kyle gets nunchaku, Cartman buys a pair of sai, and Kenny purchases a pair of ''shaken''-style shuriken. After showing their weapons off to Craig, they go around town pretending to be ninjas, becoming anime-like characters with their own individual superpowers. The animation style takes on an overall Japanese look and switches to a cinemascope aspect ratio whenever this happens.

Butters sees them playing and wants to join but the boys refuse to let him. He goes home and becomes his supervillain alter ego, Professor Chaos, and sets off to get his revenge on the four ninjas. Professor Chaos neutralizes Kyle and Stan, so Kenny comes to their defense and throws one of his shuriken. Literally. It hits Butters in his eye and becomes lodged in it, ending the boys' playtime. They realize that Butters needs medical attention, but taking him to the local hospital would result in their parents finding out about their purchases. When an attempt to extract it from his eye fails, Stan and Cartman decide to dress Butters up like a dog to get him treatment from a veterinarian.

On the way, the boys encounter Craig again and have to hide Butters in an abandoned oven so nobody sees him. Much to their chagrin, Craig has copied them and obtained weapons from the same vendor, enlisting Jimmy, Clyde, and Token as his fellow ninjas. The two ninja groups fight, but in the chaos Butters escapes. The four boys force Craig's group to help them search for Butters, threatening to tell on them if they do not. A weakened, delirious Butters makes his way to the hospital but his disguise fools the attending doctor, who sends him to the local animal shelter. There, the veterinarian determines that the only thing to do is to put Butters to sleep, but he escapes.

The boys decide to dispose of the evidence and return to the fair to have the vendor refund their money, which he refuses to do. Craig and the others inform them that they have seen Butters wandering around on the other side of the fair towards an auction that all their parents are attending. Cartman decides to use his ninja power of invisibility to walk across the auction stage to get to Butters undetected and takes off his clothes. However, in real life, he inadvertently ends up streaking across the stage.

The final scene shows the townsfolk protesting at an emergency meeting about an outrage at the auction. The boys are under the impression that the outrage in question is Butters' wound (which has been medically treated by this time), but it soon transpires that the real issue is Cartman's public nudity. Cartman explains that it was a "wardrobe malfunction" (a reference to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy that occurred six weeks prior to the episode's airing), and the episode ends with the other three boys addressing the issue that adults are more offended by sex than by violence, allowing them to keep their weapons with Kyle suggesting that Cartman should be punished (most likely Cartman ended up in prison). The episode ends with a freeze-frame of the boys in anime style posing.

By the most common interpretation of the storyline,Cf. Bondanella 1994, p. 143 and Kezich, p. 203 the film can be divided into a prologue, seven major episodes interrupted by an intermezzo, and an epilogue (see also Structure, below). If the evenings of each episode were joined with the morning of the respective preceding episode together as a day, they would form seven consecutive days, which may not necessarily be the case.

Prologue

''1st Day Sequence'': A helicopter transports a statue of Christ over an ancient Roman aqueduct outside Rome while a second, Marcello Rubini's news helicopter, follows it into the city. The news helicopter is momentarily sidetracked by a group of bikini-clad women sunbathing on the rooftop of a high-rise apartment building. Hovering above, Marcello uses gestures to elicit phone numbers from them but fails in his attempt, then shrugs and continues following the statue to Saint Peter's Square.

Episode 1

''1st Night Sequence'': Marcello meets Maddalena by chance in an exclusive nightclub. A beautiful and wealthy heiress, Maddalena is tired of Rome, while Marcello finds it suits him. They make love in the bedroom of a prostitute whom they had given a ride home in Maddalena's Cadillac.

''1st Dawn Sequence'': Marcello returns to his apartment to find that his fiancée, Emma, has overdosed. On the way to the hospital, he declares his everlasting love to her and again as she lies in a semiconscious state in the emergency room. While waiting frantically for her recovery, however, he tries to make a phone call to Maddalena.

Episode 2

''2nd Day Sequence'': That day, he goes on assignment for the arrival of Sylvia, a famous Swedish-American actress, at Ciampino airport where she is met by a horde of news reporters.

During Sylvia's press conference, Marcello calls home to ensure Emma has taken her medication while reassuring her that he is not alone with Sylvia. After the film star confidently replies to the barrage of journalists' questions, her boyfriend Robert enters the room late and drunk. To Sylvia's producer, Marcello casually recommends that Sylvia be taken on a tour of St Peter's.

Inside St Peter's dome, a news reporter complains that Sylvia is "an elevator" because none of them can match her energetic climb up the numerous flights of stairs. Inspired, Marcello maneuvers forward to be alone with her when they finally reach the balcony overlooking St. Peter's Square.

''2nd Night Sequence'': That evening, the infatuated Marcello dances with Sylvia in the Baths of Caracalla. Sylvia's natural sensuality triggers raucous partying while Robert, her bored fiancé, draws caricatures and reads a newspaper. His humiliating remark to her causes Sylvia to leave the group, eagerly followed by Marcello and his paparazzi colleagues. Finding themselves alone, Marcello and Sylvia spend the rest of the evening in the alleys of Rome, where they wade into the Trevi Fountain.

''2nd Dawn Sequence'': Like a magic spell that has suddenly been broken, dawn arrives at the very moment Sylvia playfully "anoints" Marcello's head with fountain water. They drive back to Sylvia's hotel to find an enraged Robert waiting for her in his car. Robert slaps Sylvia, orders her to go to bed, and then assaults Marcello, who takes it in stride.

Episode 3

''3rd Day Sequence'': Marcello meets Steiner, his distinguished intellectual friend, inside a church. Steiner shows off his book of Sanskrit grammar. The two go up to play the organ, offering up a jazz piece for the watching priest before playing Bach.

Episode 4

''3rd Day Sequence'': Late afternoon, Marcello, his photographer friend Paparazzo, and Emma drive to the outskirts of Rome to cover the story of the purported sighting of the Madonna by two children. Although the Catholic Church is officially skeptical, a huge crowd of devotees and reporters gathers at the site.

''3rd Night Sequence'': That night, the event is broadcast over Italian radio and television. Emma prays to the Virgin Mary to be given sole possession of Marcello's heart. Blindly following the two children from corner to corner in a downpour, the crowd tears a small tree apart for its branches and leaves said to have sheltered the Madonna.

''3rd Dawn Sequence'': The gathering ends at dawn with the crowd mourning a sick child, a pilgrim brought by his mother to be healed, but trampled to death in the melee.

Episode 3b

''4th Night Sequence'': One evening, Marcello and Emma attend a gathering at Steiner's luxurious home where they are introduced to a group of intellectuals who recite poetry, strum the guitar, offer philosophical ideas, and listen to sounds of nature recorded on tape. The British poet Iris Tree, whose poetry Marcello has read and admired, recommends that Marcello avoid the "prisons" of commitment: "Stay free, available, like me. Never get married. Never choose. Even in love, it's better to be chosen." Emma appears enchanted with Steiner's home and children, telling Marcello that one day he will have a home like Steiner's, but he turns away moodily.

Outside on the terrace, Marcello confesses to Steiner his admiration for all he stands for, but Steiner admits he is torn between the security that a materialistic life affords and his longing for a more spiritual albeit insecure way of life. Steiner philosophizes about the need for love in the world and fears what his children may grow up to face one day.

Intermezzo

''5th Day Sequence'': Marcello spends the afternoon working on his novel at a seaside restaurant where he meets Paola, a young waitress from Perugia playing Perez Prado's cha-cha “Patricia” on the jukebox and then humming its tune. He asks her if she has a boyfriend, then describes her as an angel in Umbrian paintings.

Episode 5

''5th Night Sequence'': Marcello meets his father visiting Rome on the Via Veneto. With Paparazzo, they go to the "Cha-Cha" Club, where Marcello introduces his father to Fanny, a beautiful dancer and one of his past girlfriends (he had promised to get her picture in the paper, but failed to do it). Fanny takes a liking to his father. Marcello tells Paparazzo that as a child he had never seen much of his father, who would spend weeks away from home. Fanny invites Marcello's father back to her flat, and two other dancers invite the two younger men to go with them. Marcello leaves the others when they get to the dancers' neighborhood. Fanny comes out of her house, upset that Marcello's father has become ill.

''5th Dawn Sequence'': Marcello's father has suffered what seems to be a mild heart attack. Marcello wants him to stay with him in Rome so they can get to know each other, but his father, weakened, wants to go home, and gets in a taxi to catch the first train to Cesena. He leaves Marcello forlorn, on the street, watching the taxi leave.

Episode 6

''6th Night Sequence'': Marcello, Nico, and other friends meet on the Via Veneto and are driven to a castle owned by aristocrats at Bassano di Sutri outside Rome. There is already a party long in progress, and the party-goers are bleary-eyed and intoxicated. By chance, Marcello meets Maddalena again. The two of them explore a suite of ruins annexed to the castle. Maddalena seats Marcello in a vast room and then closets herself in another room connected by an echo chamber. As a disembodied voice, Maddalena asks him to marry her; Marcello professes his love for her, avoiding answering her proposal. Another man kisses and embraces Maddalena, who loses interest in Marcello. He rejoins the group, and eventually spends the night with Jane, a British artist and heiress.

''6th Dawn Sequence'': Burnt out and bleary-eyed, the group returns at dawn to the main section of the castle, to be met by the matriarch of the castle, who is on her way to mass, accompanied by priests in a procession.

Episode 3c

''7th Night Sequence'': Marcello and Emma are alone in his sports car on an isolated road. Emma starts an argument by professing her love, and tries to get out of the car; Marcello pleads with her not to get out. Emma says that Marcello will never find another woman who loves him the way she does. Marcello becomes enraged, telling her that he cannot live with her smothering, maternal love. He now wants her to get out of the car, but she refuses. With some violence (a bite from her and a slap from him), he throws her out of the car and drives off, leaving her alone on a deserted road at night. Hours later, Emma hears his car returning as she picks flowers by the roadside. She gets into the car with neither of them saying a word.

''7th Dawn Sequence'': Marcello and Emma are asleep in bed, tenderly intertwined; Marcello receives a phone call. He rushes to the Steiners' apartment and learns that Steiner has killed his two children and himself.

''8th Day Sequence'': After waiting with the police for Steiner's wife to return home, he meets her outside to break the terrible news while the paparazzi swarm around her snapping pictures.

Episode 7

''8th Night Sequence'': An unspecified amount of time later, an older Marcello—now with gray in his hair—and a group of partygoers break into a Fregene beach house owned by Riccardo, a friend of Marcello's. Many of the men are homosexual. Marcello is mocked for abandoning literature and reporting to become a publicity agent. To celebrate her recent divorce from Riccardo, Nadia performs a striptease to Perez Prado's cha-cha “Patricia”. Riccardo shows up at the house and tells the partiers to leave. The drunken Marcello attempts to provoke the other partygoers into an orgy. However, their inebriation causes the party to descend into mayhem with Marcello riding a young woman crawling on her hands and knees and throwing pillow feathers around the room.

Epilogue

''8th Dawn Sequence'': The party proceeds to the beach at dawn where they find a modern-day leviathan, a bloated, sea ray-like creature, caught in the fishermen's nets. In his stupor, Marcello comments on how its eyes stare even in death.

''9th Day Sequence'': Paola, the adolescent waitress from the seaside restaurant in Fregene, calls to Marcello from across an estuary but the words they exchange are lost on the wind, drowned out by the crashing waves. He signals his inability to understand what she is saying or interpret her gestures. He shrugs and returns to the partygoers; one of the women joins him and they hold hands as they walk away from the beach. In a long final close-up, Paola waves to Marcello then stands watching him with an enigmatic smile.

Allison Doren

At the end of the second season, Will discovers Allison is not Francie. He attempts to warn Sydney by leaving a frantic voicemail message on her phone, when he is suddenly attacked by Allison, who attempts to strangle him. After failing to kill him, Will corners her with a knife and demands, "It's always been you? Allison?" Allison expresses remorse at what was happening, as she had apparently developed feelings for him during the months she spent posing as Francie. Allison knocks the knife away from Will, takes it, and stabs him with it. She hides Will's body in the bathtub shortly before Sydney arrives home.

Once home, Sydney relaxes on the couch beside Allison, checking her voicemail. She receives Will's message and manages to retain her composure, casually offering Allison ice cream, which Allison accepts. Sydney then excuses herself, hastily making her way to her bedroom to get a weapon, somehow realizing Will was right and "Francie" was a double. Allison appears in the doorway and reveals her mistake, "I just remembered. Francie doesn't like coffee ice cream," to which Sydney replies, "No, she doesn't."

The two engage in a desperate, brutal fight throughout the house during which most of the furniture and possessions are either used as weapons or destroyed. During the fight, Sydney finds Will's body in the bathroom, although she later learns he survived Allison's attack. The fight ends when Sydney manages to shoot Allison three times, once in the arm and twice in the chest.

Despite apparently dying, Allison is recovered by the Covenant and nursed back to health, turning up in the third season. Sydney confronts her in Sofia and shoots her. Allison heals rapidly and escapes from an ambulance transporting her to a hospital. Later, Will finds and confronts her, stabbing and killing her, in exactly the same manner as she had once stabbed him.

Struggling actor Andrew Largeman wakes up from a dream—in which he apathetically sits on a crashing plane—to a telephone message from his father, telling Andrew that he needs to return home because his mother has died.

Andrew leaves Los Angeles and returns home to New Jersey to attend the funeral. He recognizes the grave-diggers as old friends Mark and Dave, who invite him to a party that night. At home, Andrew's father gets him a doctor's appointment for headaches that he's been having.

Later that night, Andrew goes to the party where he meets up with Mark, Dave, and Jesse, an old friend who has just earned a fortune after creating silent Velcro. After smoking marijuana and taking ecstasy at the party, he still remains detached.

The morning after the party, Andrew proceeds to the appointment. In the waiting room, he meets a young woman named Sam, who is a pathological liar. She later explains that most times she does not know why she lies and will always admit to them afterward. In Andrew's meeting with his doctor, it is revealed that Andrew has been on lithium and other mood stabilizers, as well as antidepressants, since the age of 10, but has recently stopped taking them. He also says that his father, who is his psychiatrist, put him on the medication. Andrew finds Sam outside the office and offers her a ride home. Sam invites him into her house, and he meets her mother, who inadvertently reveals that Sam has epilepsy. Andrew tells Sam of his mother's death, and Sam tearfully eulogizes her hamster. After returning home, Andrew's father confronts him and is insistent that they have a talk before Andrew leaves.

Later, Andrew and Jesse sit in the cemetery as Mark digs another grave. Andrew observes Mark stealing jewelry from the corpse he is burying. Andrew then returns to Sam's house, and the two spend the rest of the day together, joining his friends later at Jesse's mansion. Andrew tells Sam that he pushed his mother in frustration when he was nine years old, knocking her over a broken dishwasher in an accident that left her paraplegic; he says that his father blames him for his mother's paralysis and put him on his medications to "curb the anger" he supposedly harbors. Sam listens, and Andrew then admits his feelings for her.

The next day, Mark tells Andrew that he needs help "tracking down" a going-away present for him. Sam, Andrew, and Mark spend the day together, ending it in a quarry in Newark where Mark talks to a man named Albert, who is employed in keeping intruders out of the quarry. The three visitors discuss the reasons for which Albert and his wife choose to live in the quarry. Albert explains that living there and exploring the quarry is "doing something that's completely unique, that's never been done before," mirroring an earlier speech by Sam. Finally, Albert explains that what actually matters is living with his family. Andrew is inspired by the conversation, and outside in the rain, he climbs atop a derelict crane and screams into the quarry, joined by Sam and Mark. He and Sam then share a kiss.

When Sam and Andrew look at the gift later on, it turns out to be Andrew's mother's favorite pendant, one of the items Mark stole from her grave, sold, and subsequently located. Andrew eventually talks with his father, and states that he was not to blame for his mother's accident and that he will live the rest of his life without medications. He forgives his father and says he wants to build a better relationship with him.

The morning after, Andrew says his goodbyes to Sam at the airport, while she begs him not to leave. He acknowledges that she has changed his life but also recognizes that he still has to fix his personal problems before continuing the relationship. Andrew boards the flight, and Sam is left crying in a telephone booth. Andrew then returns, saying that he doesn't want to waste any more of his life without Sam. He wonders what to do next, and the two then kiss.

In the year 0015, the world is corrupted by Dark Brings, evil stones that bestow powerful magic with different abilities to their owners. The Dark Brings are used by the Raregroove Kingdom, which is opposed by the Symphonia Kingdom with the five Rave stones. Shiba Roses, the Rave Master, attempts to destroy Sinclaire, the "mother" of all of the Dark Brings, with the Ten Commandments sword. However, the aftermath causes a massive explosion known as Overdrive, destroying one-tenth of the known world. Shiba, protected from the disaster by his special guardian "dog" Plue, holds onto the Rave required to power his sword. Plue and the four remaining Raves, however, get scattered around the world.

Fifty years later, sixteen-year-old Haru Glory lives on the peaceful Garage Island with his older sister, Cattleya. Shortly after Haru accidentally fishes Plue up, Shiba arrives wishing to reclaim Plue, but a group of terrorists from the Demon Card organization appear to kill Shiba. Shiba tells Haru that he is the second Rave Master, entrusting the Ten Commandments, Plue, and his Rave to him. Seeking power to defeat Demon Card, Haru and Plue set off on a journey to find the missing Rave stones. Upon arriving at the mainland, Haru befriends a girl named Elie, who has no recollection of her past. During their journey, Haru encounters enemies from Demon Card who eventually become his allies, including Shuda and Sieg Hart. Haru later meets a diverse group of allies, including Hamrio Musica, grandson of a blacksmith; Let Dahaka and Julia, two who appear human but are in fact of the Dragon Race; Griffon Kato, a strange blue creature and Plue's friend; Ruby, a penguin and a casino owner; Belnika, a mage; and Niebel, Sieg's close friend. He also encounters Gale "King" Raregroove, the king of the Raregroove Kingdom and leader of Demon Card. On the Tower of Din, Haru reunites with his absent father Gale Glory to defeat King and end Demon Card. Although they win, Gale sacrifices himself to save his son from Din's destruction.

Some time later, King's son, Lucia, appears and revives Demon Card. He wishes to capture Elie to use the magical energy known as Etherion hidden within her body. While facing Lucia and his forces, Haru's group also learn of the mythical creature known as Endless, which threatens mankind by provoking another Overdrive and can only be destroyed with Etherion. Using all Sinclaires, Lucia absorbs Endless. Lucia's objective is to destroy the world, which is actually a parallel dimension created by his ancestor with the Star Memory after the original was ruined by a plague and his family was cursed as a result. After Haru finds all of the Raves, Elie uses Etherion to combine them. In order to avoid another Overdrive, Haru and his friends oppose Lucia and his strongest enemies in the Star Memory. Although Haru defeats Lucia, he is absorbed by Endless and convinces Elie to destroy it even if it means taking his life. One year later, Elie has lost her memories of Haru, and she and the others visit his grave. Haru appears alive thanks to the Star Memory's magic and reunites with Elie, who then remembers him. The warriors go their separate ways, and Haru and Elie return to Garage Island to live together.

''Pokémon Adventures'' is divided into several distinct parts which are known as chapters, and those, in turn, are divided further into volumes and many smaller chapters. There are fifteen major divisions at present, with eleven of them completely published, and one of them partially published. 61 volumes of the manga have been released as of February 2022.

Due to the serialization of ''Black 2 & White 2'' chapter on hold and taking many years before being collected into a volume, the ''X & Y'' and subsequent chapters of ''Pokémon Adventures'' will be separately collected into mini-volumes. The rounds included in these mini-volumes will only be ones that were published in the ''CoroCoro Ichiban'' magazine. Once the ''Black 2 & White 2'' chapter ended in the regular volumes, the subsequent chapters started to be collected in that format as well.

''Red, Green & Blue''

The first story shows Red, the protagonist, who gets his Pokédex from Professor Oak to start on his Pokémon journey, collecting Pokémon and battling gym leaders for the eight coveted gym badges. He later meets his rival , who sells him fake Pokémon items. She has stolen a Squirtle from Oak’s lab and has evolved it into a Wartortle.

Later, Oak had been kidnapped by Team Rocket to create a Mewtwo, and Red, in the Pokémon League Championships and emerges victorious, claiming the title of champion of the Pokémon League.

''Yellow''

Red has disappeared after receiving a challenge letter sent to him by Bruno of the Elite Four. They plan to lure him to them, and use him to get information on Giovanni’s whereabouts. They also need his Earth Badge. Only Red’s Pikachu, Pika, managed to escape, Red having been encased in ice. Yellow decided to go look for Red, as Red had helped her catch a Rattata to train her in the skills of battling.

Later, Yellow, Blaine, , Bill, Lt. Surge, Koga and Sabrina join forces to bring down the Elite Four together. They find out that Lance’s master plan was to use the Gym Badges and create an amplifying effect at Cerise Island to power up a mysterious Legendary Pokémon and destroy all humans in the world except themselves. They felt that humans and Pokémon were not meant to coexist. Red turned up later at Cerise Island to help Surge and Bill defeat Bruno. It is also revealed that Giovanni was the one who rescued Red from his ice coffin. Yellow battles Lance, but is losing until the other trainers send their power to Yellow, and with their combined strength, she manages to defeat Lance.

''Gold, Silver & Crystal''

The third adventure is based on the ''Pokémon Gold'', ''Silver'', and ''Crystal'' versions of the game. It features the protagonists Gold, Silver and Crystal, and is centered mostly around the Johto region, with Gold as the point of view character. Gold first started his journey to chase a thief that broke into Professor Elm's lab, and stole a Totodile. Gold then made it his mission to get Totodile back from Silver (who stole it), and follows Silver. In Gold's quest to steal back Totodile, he decided to become fully involved in Silver's life. But following him gets him wrapped up in Neo Team Rocket (a revival of Team Rocket), and Gold tries to stop them. In a shocking reveal, it turns out one of the gym leaders is the Neo Team Rocket's leader, the Ice type gym leader, Pryce. He was also the Mask of Ice, a mysterious man who kidnapped Silver and Green as children. The Johto Trio (Gold, Silver, and a pro catcher named Crystal) then stop both Neo Rocket and the Mask of Ice in a dramatic final battle to end off the chapter.

''Ruby & Sapphire''

The Ruby & Sapphire manga is based on the ''Ruby'' and ''Sapphire'' versions of the game. It features Ruby and Sapphire and their bet to each other: 80 days for Ruby to win all the Contest Ribbons in Hoenn, and for Sapphire, a powerful trainer in her own right, to battle all the Gym Leaders for the 8 badges.

In their travels, they meet new companions like the gym leaders of the Hoenn region and the avid news reporter Gabby and her cameraman Ty (who play a minor role in the games). Team Aqua and Team Magma are introduced here, as they attempt to awaken the legendary Pokémon Kyogre and Groudon to conquer the world, and Ruby and Sapphire take notice after encountering several main members in their journeys. The gym leaders, Ruby, and Sapphire end up trying to protect Hoenn from the awakened Kyogre and Groudon, their awakening causes a disaster as Ruby loses a contest, leading to his Feebas running away and unable to find its way back. Ruby, however, finds it and apologizes, and gives it the Hyper Rank Beauty Ribbon, after which it evolves into Milotic. In the chapter Rayquaza Redemption II, Sapphire confesses that she has developed feelings for Ruby.

''FireRed & LeafGreen''

The next story, returning to Red, Green, and Blue grandfather, who have been kidnapped by Deoxys. Despite their best efforts, they are not able to stop Team Rocket from obtaining Deoxys, even though they’ve mastered the ultimate attacks taught by Ultima, an old but powerful woman residing on Two Island. After being defeated, Red is approached by Mewtwo who offers help in defeating Team Rocket.

Yellow and Silver are reintroduced as they later search for clues about Silver’s parents. Knowing that his objective was somewhere in Viridian City, Silver met up with Yellow in the forest. Meanwhile, Giovanni used Deoxys's power to search for his lost son and was led to the Viridian Forest too. It is revealed that Silver is Giovanni's son and he passes out in shock. Yellow follows Team Rocket, who brought Silver back with them to an airship.

Red and Mewtwo challenge Giovanni. He loses, but the airship flies out of control. It is revealed that Red and Deoxys’ have a connection because it absorbed some of Red’s blood. Together, Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Silver stop Deoxys from destroying the area but they are caught in an energy clash that petrifies them. Though Mewtwo is also caught in the attack, his body is nowhere to be seen. Deoxys manages to escape moments before the blast and is currently searching for the other Deoxys that was disposed of after Team Rocket had no further use for it.

''Emerald''

The protagonist of this story arc is Emerald, who is hired by Crystal and Professor Oak to capture Jirachi in seven days before it is captured by Guile Hideout, the main antagonist. Emerald is also trying to challenge the seven facilities of the Battle Frontier and conquer them all. In the process, Emerald meets with the other two Hoenn Pokédex holders, Ruby and Sapphire.

The three Pokédex owners take on the Battle Frontier challenge, but they are interrupted by Guile Hideout, who was manipulating the head of the Battle Tower, Anabel. In an ensuing battle with Emerald, he releases Anabel from his control and reveals himself to be Team Aqua's leader, Archie. He also reveals that he has caught Jirachi, and subsequently uses it to summon a massive water-composed clone of Kyogre to flood the Battle Frontier. Archie hints that he is unable to be separated from the armor covering him for a prolonged period of time.

The three Pokédex holders escape the rising waters with the help of Gold and Crystal, who have also arrived at the Battle Frontier. Gold explains that the five Pokédex owners who were petrified — Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Silver — were ordered to be shipped to the Battle Frontier. The hope was for them to be de-petrified through a wish to Jirachi. While Crystal trains Ruby and Sapphire to learn a powerful skill that can help stop Kyogre, Archie abandons Jirachi, who is subsequently left in Emerald's hands.

Gold assigns Emerald to make a wish to de-petrify Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Silver. After finally coming into terms with his real desire—to be with Pokémon and people who like them, Jirachi grants his wish, and the five Pokédex owners are cured of their petrification. Red and Gold immediately incapacitate Archie by destroying his armor. With all ten Pokédex owners now reunited, they combine their strongest attacks together and defeat Kyogre and Archie, who vanishes for good.

''Diamond & Pearl''

This storyline is based on the ''Diamond'' and ''Pearl'' versions of the game. It features Lady Platinum Berlitz, who, for her coming-of-age ceremony, must travel to the top of Mt. Coronet in order to collect materials to create her own family emblem. Despite her vast knowledge, due to coming from a wealthy family of scholars, her father insists that she is followed by a pair of professional bodyguards. However, an identity mishap occurs as manzai comedians Diamond and Pearl believe that Platinum is their tour guide who will accompany them on a prize trip around Sinnoh, while Platinum believes that the duo are her bodyguards.

As they travel Sinnoh, Platinum becomes engrossed in Gym Battles after fighting Roark in order to up her Piplup’s confidence. She manages to obtain six gym badges within a space of 25 days, which Byron remarks to have beaten Sapphire’s previous record of 8 badges in 80 days. While helping Platinum prepare for Gym Battles through intense periods of training, the starter Pokémon bestowed upon them by Professor Rowan gradually evolve to their final evolved form, while Platinum’s Ponyta evolves into a Rapidash.

In an encounter with Team Galactic while in Veilstone City, Platinum becomes Galactic’s ransom target, as a means to extract capital to develop a bomb, which would be used to destroy the three lakes of Sinnoh. Platinum’s center of attention causes the banishment of her real bodyguards to a different realm, causing Diamond and Pearl to continue faking as professional bodyguards, while now knowing the truth. The evidence is further solidified when the trio visit Celestic Town to find Cyrus studying the ruins there.

After battling Fantina for a gym badge, the trio learn that Platinum’s father and Professor Rowan have been kidnapped while at an academic conference in Canalave City. They immediately speed to Canalave City aboard Fantina’s Drifblim. After her father and Professor Rowan are saved, Platinum learns that Diamond and Pearl were not her bodyguards; while this causes a rift between them, Platinum reconciles with them by revealing her name as a means of declaring she recognizes the two as her friends. They resolve to continue their journey through Sinnoh in order to stop Team Galactic's nefarious plans and save the legendary Pokémon (Mesprit, Uxie, and Azelf) of Sinnoh's three lakes. And Diamond, Pearl, and Platinum will be informed that Team Galactic captures the trio legendary Pokémon use them to the production of Red Chain in order to summon to the two legendary Pokémon in charge of time and space, Dialga and Palkia create a new universe.

''Platinum''

The chapter follows Lady Platinum Berlitz, separate with Diamond and Pearl, as she enters the Battle Frontier; as well as Looker, who is international police investigating information on the Team Galactic and assist Platinum investigating information on the Distortion World, where her original bodyguards, Dialga and Palkia, and Cyrus, the leader of Team Galactic. To this end, Platinum will challenge the Frontier Brains to obtain intelligence.

At the same time, Charon of Team Galactic also initiate a plan of action to take possession of the legendary Pokémon of Sinnoh, including the legendary Pokémon expelled to Distortion World, Giratina.

''HeartGold & SoulSilver''

This arc is based on the Generation IV games, HeartGold and SoulSilver, and takes place between the Emerald and Diamond & Pearl arc. Gold is tasked by Professor Oak to find former villain Lance in the Pokéathlon, as he holds information about the Alpha Pokémon, Arceus. Gold decides to compete in the Pokéathlon and wins the contests, but is unable to find Lance. Meanwhile, Silver discovers that Team Rocket has been ressurected once again, and is using 3 plates, items that greatly boost a Pokémon based on type, for another evil plot. Both events cause Gold, Silver, and Crystal to investigate the situation, eventually taking them to the Sinjoh Ruins, where the 4 executives behind Team Rocket plan to use Arceus, who has lost faith in humanity, to summon Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina to bring back their leader, Giovanni. The trio, helped by Giovanni, a reformed Lance, and Pryce (who has returned from the crack of time), defeat the Legendary Pokémon and restore Arceus' faith in humanity.

''Black & White''

This arc features a boy named Black and his Tepig "Tep" on a quest to become a master trainer, along with Black's Braviary "Brav" and Munna "Musha". When his ambition to become the best trainer in Unova gets the better of him, he causes a scene by screaming out his dream with his Pokémon. One day due to an encounter with a Galvantula, he destroys a film set and ends up under the employment of a girl named White, the owner of female Tepig Gigi and happens to be the proud president of the BW Agency, a company that provides Pokémon actors for various productions. Black and White's Tepigs have a crush on each other, and White happens to require the services of Black's Tep. The rivals of the Black and White game, Cheren and Bianca, appear as Pokédex holders, Cheren with a Snivy and Bianca with Oshawott. Due to an accident at Professor Juniper's lab, Black is left with the only functioning Pokédex from Professor Juniper's lab, thus making him especially important for completing the Pokédex; it also makes him a target of Team Plasma due to his opposition towards their ideals of "Pokémon liberation".

''Black 2 & White 2''

The plot of Pokémon Black 2 and White 2 is a special class trip arc. It follows Blake (Lack-Two in Japan), a member of the International Police who seeks to arrest the seven sages and the other Neo Team Plasma members, and Whitley (Whi-Two in Japan), a former member of Team Plasma yearning for the return of N. They are new students in Cheren's class along with Hugh, who vows himself to defeat Neo Team Plasma and get the Purrloin they stole for his sister back. Neo Team Plasma's plans now are to take over the Unova region and awaken the legendary Pokémon named Kyurem.

The serialization of the story arc began in July 2013. On September 27, 2016, it was announced that the chapter would be published digitally in Shogakukan's "Sunday Web Every". It began on October 4, 2016 and released each chapter of volume 52 on a weekly basis before continuing on to the first round of volume 53 on a monthly basis starting November 22, 2016. Another hiatus occurred following February 2018, but serialization resumed in March 2019 until its completion in April 2020. Its regular volumes publication began in December 2014 and concluded in May 2020.

''X & Y''

The ''X & Y'' chapter focuses on a depressed boy named X, who won a major tournament as a child, and Y, a girl who dreams of becoming a Sky Trainer. X has been forced out of hiding when the two legendary Pokémon blow up his town. Soon, he meets up with a group called Team Flare who tries to steal his tool that enables mega evolution. X, Y, and their companions, Shauna, Tierno, and Trevor have to try to escape Team Flare by seeking a place where they can go in peace; however, the plan doesn't go like X and his friends want.

Serialization of this story arc began in October 2013 and concluded in November 2016. The publication of the ''X & Y'' chapter in the regular volumes format began in May 2020 and concluded in February 2022.

''Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire''

The ''Omega Ruby & Alpha Sapphire'' arc focuses on the returning Hoenn trio of Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald based on the ''Omega Ruby'' and ''Alpha Sapphire'' versions of the game. Ruby, Sapphire, and Emerald acquire Mega Bracelets and Mega Stones from Steven to help aid his quest to save the Earth from impending doom by a meteorite while Ruby encounters a mysterious girl along the way. Sapphire is traumatized when she learns the truth about the meteor, and in result of that trauma she loses her voice and sense of smell. Ruby takes on the role of lorekeeper and gets Rayquaza to trust him so they can save the world through the use of dragon lore. It is based primarily on the events of the Delta Episode in the games.

The arc was released digitally on Shogakukan's "Web Sunday," with a new chapter on the first Tuesday of every month. The first mini-volume was released in Japan on July 24, 2015.

''Sun, Moon, Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon''

This chapter features a boy named Sun who is a courier with the hope of gathering 100 million Yen and a girl named Moon who is a pharmacist and an archer. In order to calm the wrath of the Tapu, one of which unexpectedly attacked them, the guardian deities of Alola, they embarked on an island challenge journey, and will face Team Skull and Aether Foundation’s Ultra Beast-related conspiracy, the mysterious creatures come from another dimension Ultra Space.

''Sword & Shield''

Marvin is a young boy who just moved to Galar region and met Henry Sword (''Sōdo Tsurugi'' in Japan) and Casey Shield (''Shieldmilia Tate'' in Japan), the boy is a "Meister" of repair Pokemon's gear and hopes to have an opportunity to see the legendary artifacts Rusted Sword and Shield, and the girl is a computer engineer who is interested in Dynamax and looking for her lost Pokemon team. They traveled with Professor Magnolia to help her investigate the Dynamax phenomenon. And Henry and Casey are planning to challenge the Galar Pokemon League, in order to gather information about Casey's lost Pokemon.

In 1942, Captain Yonoi (Sakamoto) is the commander of a POW camp in Japanese-occupied Java. A strict adherent to the bushido code, his only sources of connection to the prisoners lie in the empathetic Lt. Col. John Lawrence (Conti), the only inmate fluent in Japanese, and the abrasive spokesman Gp. Capt. Hicksley (Thompson), who repeatedly resists Yonoi's attempts to find weapons experts among the prisoners for the Japanese army's interests. Lawrence has befriended Sgt. Gengo Hara (Kitano), but remains at odds with the rest of the staff. Summoned to the military trial of the recently-captured Major Jack Celliers (Bowie), Yonoi is fascinated by his resilience and has him interred at the camp. After the trial, Yonoi confides with Lawrence that he is haunted with shame due to his absence during the February 26 Incident, believing he should've died alongside the rebels and implying that his focus on honor stems from this. Sensing a kindred spirit in Celliers, Yonoi's fascination grows into a romantic obsession: he treats him specially, watches him sleep, and repeatedly asks Hara about him in private.

When the inmates are made to fast as punishment for insubordination during the forced seppuku of a guard (Okura), Celliers sneaks in food. The guards catch him and find a smuggled radio during the subsequent investigation, forcing him and Lawrence to take the blame. Yonoi's batman, realizing the hold Celliers has on him, attempts to kill Celliers in his sleep that night, but fails after he wakes up and escapes, freeing Lawrence too. Yonoi catches Celliers and challenges him to a duel in exchange for his freedom, but Celliers refuses; the batman returns and commits suicide for his failure, urging Yonoi to kill Celliers before his feelings overpower him. At the funeral, Lawrence learns that he and Celliers will be executed for the radio, despite the lack of evidence, to preserve order in the camp; enraged, he trashes the funeral set and is forced back into his cell. That night, Celliers reveals to Lawrence that as a teenager, he betrayed his younger brother, long bullied for his hunchback, by refusing to spare him a humiliating and traumatizing initiation ritual at their boarding school. Confronting his past, he describes the lifelong shame he felt towards his actions, paralleling Yonoi's predicament. During their conversation, the pair are released by a drunken Hara, as a different prisoner confessed to delivering the radio. As they leave, Hara calls out in English, "Merry Christmas, Lawrence!" Although Yonoi is angry at Hara for exceeding his authority, he only mildly reprimands him.

Hicksley, realizing that Yonoi wants to replace him with Celliers as spokesman, confronts him. The two argue over their withholding of information from one another before an enraged Yonoi orders the whole camp to form up outside the barracks, including the sick bay's ailing patients, resulting in one's death. Hicksley, who refused to bring out the patients, is punished for his insubordination with an on-the-spot execution. Before he can be killed, however, Celliers breaks rank and kisses Yonoi on each cheek, choosing to save Hicksley's life at the cost of his own. Caught between a desire for vindication and his feelings for Celliers, a distraught Yonoi collapses and is ultimately relieved from duty. His more rigid replacement (Murota) has Celliers buried in the sand up to his neck and left to die. Before leaving, Yonoi sneaks into his pen and cuts a lock from his hair, moments before his passing.

Four years later, Lawrence visits Hara, who is now a prisoner of the Allies. Hara has learned to speak English and reveals he is to be executed the following day for war crimes. Expressing confusion over the harshness of his sentence given how commonplace his actions were among both sides of the war, he and Lawrence both conclude that while the Allies officially won, morally "we are all wrong." The two reminisce on Celliers and Yonoi, the latter of whom was reported to have been killed after the war, before bidding each other goodbye. As he is leaving, Hara calls out, "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence!".

Part 1

Sonic the Hedgehog is relaxing on the beach of South Island with Miles "Tails" Prower, when Old Man Owl arrives with a message from the President asking Sonic to come to his office. Once there, they discover Dr. Robotnik has taken the President and his daughter Sara prisoner. After giving exposition of how Planet Freedom works (explaining the two "dimensions" of the planet, The Land of the Sky, and The Land of Darkness), Robotnik explains that a giant mecha named Metal Robotnik ("Black Eggman" in the original Japanese release) has exiled him from his utopian city of Robotropolis ("Eggmanland" in the original) and sabotaged the Robot Generator, which will explode by sunrise the next day. He asks Sonic to head to the Land of Darkness to stop it in exchange for the President and Sara's lives. Once there, Metal Robotnik tries to stop them from reaching the generator. Knuckles the Echidna arrives and rescues them, and all three team up to destroy the mecha. Unbeknownst to them, Metal Robotnik is revealed to have been controlled by Robotnik, with Sara unwillingly in tow. The episode ends with Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles heading to Robotropolis.

Part 2

After entering Robotropolis, Knuckles distracts the enemy robots while Sonic and Tails try to stop the generator in the heart of the city. They arrive just in time, but when Sonic pulls the lever, the machine traps him and scans his body. Knuckles frees Sonic just as the machine crumbles to the ground, revealing Dr. Robotnik's newest robot, Hyper Metal Sonic. Dr. Robotnik appears in Metal Robotnik's remains and reveals he lured Sonic to copy his mind, personality, and abilities for Hyper Metal Sonic. Sonic and Metal battle, but Metal easily overpowers Sonic. Tails and Knuckles return to the Land of the Sky, where Tails learns that Metal is out to destroy the planet by digging into the ice caps that hold the Land of the Sky together, allowing lava to emerge and melt the ice. Sonic wakes up in Green Lake City and returns to the Presidential Palace, learning of Metal's goal from the President.

Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles go to the ice caps, where Sara is being held hostage by Robotnik, planning to marry her so the two will rule over Planet Freedom after the Land of the Sky's decimation. Sonic encounters Metal and the two have a lengthy battle. Tails manage to corrupt Metal's data, and Sonic severely damages him. During the altercation, the President and Old Man arrive and are trapped in their aircraft, but Metal saves them. Sonic realizes that Metal does have emotions, as he was programmed with Sonic's persona and instincts. Metal gets blown into a crack and falls into a subglacial volcano. Sonic reaches out his hand to help him, but Metal rejects it, telling him "there is only one Sonic" before being destroyed by the rising magma. Robotnik states he still has Sonic's DNA and can re-build Metal Sonic, but one of his missiles from the fight inadvertently blows up the disc containing Sonic's DNA. Knuckles then punches Sonic as revenge for Sonic accidentally stepping on him during the brawl, and the two get into a chase, with all the others following behind, ending the episode.

Mrs. Brisby, a widowed field mouse, lives in a cinder block with her children in a field on the Fitzgibbons' farm. She needs to move her family out of the field as plowing time approaches, but her son Timothy has fallen ill. She visits Mr. Ages, a friend of her late husband, Jonathan. Ages diagnoses the illness as pneumonia, provides Brisby with medicine, and warns her that Timothy must stay inside for at least three weeks or he will die. On her way home, Brisby befriends Jeremy, a clumsy but friendly crow. They both narrowly escape from the Fitzgibbons' cat, Dragon. The next morning, Brisby discovers that Farmer Fitzgibbons has started plowing early. Although her neighbor Auntie Shrew helps her disable his tractor, Brisby knows she must devise another plan. Jeremy takes her to meet the Great Owl, who tells her to visit a colony of rats that live beneath a rose bush on the farm and ask for the services of Nicodemus, their wise and mystical leader.

Brisby enters the rose bush and encounters an aggressive guard rat named Brutus, who chases her away. She is led back in by Ages, and is amazed to see the rats' use of electricity and other technology. She meets Justin, the friendly captain of the guard; Jenner, a ruthless and power-hungry rat opposed to Nicodemus; and finally Nicodemus himself. From Nicodemus, she learns that many years ago the rats, along with her husband and Ages, were part of a series of experiments at the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH for short). The experiments boosted their intelligence, enabling them to escape, as well as extending their lifespans and slowing their aging processes. However, they are unable to live as typical rats would, and need human technology to survive, which they have accomplished only by stealing. Nicodemus has authorized a plan for the rats to leave the farm and live independently in an area they refer to as Thorn Valley.

Nicodemus gives Brisby a magical amulet that will activate when the wearer is courageous. Because of the rats' relationship with Jonathan, they agree to help her move her home. First, they need to drug Dragon so that it can be done safely. Only Brisby can do this, as the rats cannot fit through the hole leading into the house; Jonathan was killed by Dragon in a previous attempt, while Ages broke his leg in another. That night, she puts the drug into Dragon's dish, but the Fitzgibbons' son, Billy, catches her. While trapped in a birdcage, she overhears a telephone conversation between Farmer Fitzgibbons and the staff of NIMH and learns that the institute intends to exterminate the rats in the morning. Brisby then escapes from the cage and runs off to warn them.

As a rainstorm approaches, the rats begin moving the Brisby home, with the children and Auntie Shrew inside, using a rope and pulley system. Jenner, who wishes for the rats to remain in the rose bush, sabotages the assembly with his reluctant accomplice Sullivan, causing it to fall apart and crush Nicodemus to death. Brisby soon arrives to warn the rats about NIMH's arrival, but Jenner attacks her and attempts to steal the amulet. Sullivan alerts Justin, who comes to Brisby's aid. Jenner mortally wounds Sullivan but is injured by Justin in a sword fight. As Jenner attempts to attack Justin from behind, the dying Sullivan throws a dagger into his back, killing him. The Brisby home begins to sink into a mud puddle and Brisby and the rats are unable to raise it. Brisby's will to save her family gives power to the amulet, which she uses to lift the house and move it to safety. The next morning, the rats, with Justin as their new leader, have departed for Thorn Valley as Timothy begins to recover. Jeremy soon meets Miss Right, another crow who is just as clumsy as he is, and they fall in love.

Hunt for the Dragon Balls Saga

The series begins with a young monkey-tailed boy named Goku befriending a teenage girl named Bulma. Together, they go on an adventure to find the seven mystical , which have the ability to summon the powerful dragon Shenron, who can grant whomever summons him their greatest desire. The journey leads to a confrontation with the shape-shifting pig Oolong, as well as a desert bandit named Yamcha and his companion Pu'ar, who all later become allies; Chi-Chi, whom Goku unknowingly agrees to marry; and Emperor Pilaf, a blue-skinned imp who seeks the Dragon Balls to fulfill his desire of becoming ruler of the world. Oolong stops Pilaf from using the Dragon Balls by wishing for a pair of panties.

World Martial Arts Tournament Saga

Goku undergoes rigorous training under the martial artist Master Roshi in order to fight in the that attracts the most powerful fighters in the world. A monk named Krillin becomes his training partner and rival, but they soon become best friends.

Red Ribbon Army Saga

After the tournament, Goku sets out on his own to recover the Dragon Ball his deceased grandfather left him and encounters a terrorist organization known as the Red Ribbon Army, whose diminutive leader, Commander Red, wants to collect the Dragon Balls so that he can use them to become taller. He almost single-handedly defeats the army, including their hired assassin Mercenary Tao, whom he originally loses to, but after training under the hermit Korin, easily beats. Goku reunites with his friends to defeat Fortuneteller Baba's fighters and have her locate the last Dragon Ball in order to revive a friend killed by Tao.

King Piccolo Saga

Goku and his friends reunite at the World Martial Arts Tournament three years later and meet Master Roshi's rival and Tao's brother, Master Shen, and his students Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu, who vow to exact revenge for Tao's apparent death at the hands of Goku. Krillin is murdered after the tournament and Goku tracks down and is defeated by his killer, Tambourine, and the Demon King Piccolo. The overweight samurai Yajirobe takes Goku to Korin, where he receives healing and a power boost. Meanwhile, Piccolo kills both Master Roshi and Chiaotzu, and uses the Dragon Balls to give himself eternal youth before destroying Shenron, which results in the Dragon Balls' destruction. As King Piccolo prepares to destroy West City as a show of force, Tien Shinhan arrives to confront him, but is defeated and nearly killed. Goku arrives in time to save Tien and then kills King Piccolo by blasting a hole through his chest.

Piccolo Junior Saga

Just before he dies, King Piccolo spawns his final son, Piccolo Junior. Korin informs Goku that Kami, the original creator of the Dragon Balls, might be able to restore Shenron and the Dragon Balls so that Goku can wish his fallen friends back to life, which he does. He also stays and trains under Kami for the next three years, once again reuniting with his friends at the Martial Arts Tournament, as well as a now-teenaged Chi-Chi and the revived Mercenary Tao. Piccolo Junior also enters the tournament to avenge his father's death, leading to the final battle between him and Goku. After Goku narrowly wins and defeats Piccolo Junior, he leaves with Chi-Chi and they get married, leading to the events of ''Dragon Ball Z''.

The Black Vault

The Suicide Squad are sent to a Russian prison to retrieve a secret item, which turns out to be a portal to the Phantom Zone. During the unfolding events, a Russian group of metahumans, known as the Annihilation Brigade, shows up and the situation worsens. General Zod gets free of the Vault, and Captain Boomerang is killed. The battle is brought to an abrupt halt as a new character, Hack, breaches the Russian database and learns how to pull General Zod back into the portal.

Going Sane

Back in Belle Reve, scientists working for Waller are examining the portal. Waller shares her intent to weaponize Zod and add him to her Suicide Squad. Flag disagrees, and conflict escalates between the two, leading to Flag firing his gun at Waller.

In the next issue, Amanda's scientists continue trying to extract Zod. Meanwhile, the portal is sending out electromagnetic waves, and the characters appear to act in increasingly erratic ways. The portal waves are shown as having the opposite effect on Harley, causing her to realize she must intervene in the escalating bloodlust.

Justice League vs. Suicide Squad

This episode follows the Squad to the fictional island of Badhinisia, where the team has been dispatched to prevent the Brimstone Brotherhood from causing an earthquake. During the events, the Squad is confronted by the Justice League, having learned of the team's existence from Batman. Waller shares her intention to blow the bombs in their necks if they are captured by, or surrender to, the League. The Suicide Squad are defeated by the Justice League until Killer Frost absorbs a portion of a weakened Superman's life force and freezes everyone.

Back at Belle Reve Penitentiary, the Justice League has been captured by Amanda. Batman escapes his confinement and confronts Waller about her plans for the League. When the plot reveals the approaching threat of Max Lord and his supervillain team, the two teams must pool their efforts in order to prevent the theft of a powerful weapon from inside Belle Reve.

As the story progresses, Lord succeeds in stealing the Heart of Darkness (a.k.a. the Eclipso Diamond) and uses it to control the League, and through them, gains control of the world. Batman rallies Lobo and the remaining Squad members to make a final stand against Lord, escalating to conflict with the compromised Justice League. Meanwhile, Amanda observes that Lord himself is falling under the influence of the Eclipso Diamond, and warns him of this when Lord has her brought to the White House. Lord realizes too late that Waller's warning held truth. In the following chaos, Batman deems them the new Justice League. Although Lord is able to bring most of the Squad/League under his control, he is defeated when Killer Frost, acting on Batman's instructions, is able to create a prism of ice that reflects Superman's heat vision in a frequency that will disrupt Eclipso's control of the heroes, Eclipso himself being vanquished by Killer Frost as she draws on the life energy of the rest of the heroes and Squad members present, thus limiting the drain on any one of them. In the aftermath of the crisis, Killer Frost is officially released while Lord is kept in Waller's custody, Waller musing that she will use him for 'Task Force XI'.

Burning Down the House

Earthlings on Fire

Kill Your Darlings

Drain the Swamp

Waller recruits Juan Soria, a prospective hero who was turned down by the Justice League and then arrested for robbery, into the Squad in order to combat an alien force that feeds off optimism and hope. In preparation for the mission, Waller had systematically broken Soria down to rid him of any and all hope. This allowed him to defeat the creature. After learning that he was used, Waller relocates Soria to Killer Croc's cell. Croc had previously been tempted to eat Soria and it is assumed this is what happened.

The Squad confronts Damage, who Waller wants to recruit for her Task Force XL. Meanwhile, King Faraday, who is still being held at Belle Reve, reveals he's been accessing Waller's hidden files and asks about someone named Coretta. Waller is visually shaken by the mention. She leaves the prison and goes to her daughter Coretta in the hospital as she's just given birth to Waller's grandchild. Her son Jessie tells her that Coretta does not want to see her. Hack returns and reveals she is in Belle Reve's computers. She begins opening the cells, erasing files, and murdering guards.

'''The Revenge of Kobra'''

'''Rota Fortuna'''

'''War In Two Worlds'''

'''My Own Worst Enemy!'''

'''Fugitive From Myself'''

'''Reverse Image'''

U.S. Army Ranger Sgt. Cameron Poe returns home from Desert Storm to his pregnant wife Tricia after being honorably discharged. However, he is given a ten-year prison sentence for accidentally killing one of three intoxicated men who attempted to assault Tricia. Eight years later, Poe is paroled and boards a flight to Alabama on a Fairchild C-123 Provider known as the ''Jailbird'', a converted JPATS prison transport plane. Accompanying him is his diabetic cellmate Mike "Baby-O" O'Dell.

Most of the inmates boarding the flight are being transferred to a supermax prison: mass murderer William "Billy Bedlam" Bedford, serial rapist John "Johnny 23" Baca, Black Guerrilla member Nathan "Diamond Dog" Jones, and professional criminal Cyrus "The Virus" Grissom. The flight is overseen by deputy U.S. Marshal Vince Larkin, who is approached by DEA agents Duncan Malloy and Willie Sims; the latter plans to go undercover to get information from drug kingpin Francisco Cindino, who is being picked up en route.

After taking off, inmate Joe "Pinball" Parker sets another prisoner on fire using smuggled kerosene as a distraction, allowing Grissom and Diamond Dog to take over the plane. They plan to land at Carson Airport as scheduled, pick up and transfer other prisoners, and then fly to a non-extradition country. Sims tries to retake control, but Grissom kills him and takes his gun. Poe and Grissom also foil Johnny 23's rape attempts on the plane's female guard, Sally Bishop.

The plane arrives at Carson City and the inmate exchange commences, the ground crew unaware that hijackers are disguised as guards and the real guards forcibly disguised as inmates, gagged to prevent them from revealing the scheme. Amongst the new passengers are Cindino, pilot Earl "Swamp Thing" Williams, and serial killer Garland Greene. The authorities discover the hijacking upon finding evidence in Grissom's old cell and a tape recorder planted by Poe on one of the disguised guards, but are unable to stop the plane from taking off. Meanwhile, Pinball disposes of the plane's transponder, but dies trying to re-board during takeoff.

The inmates plan to land at Lerner Airfield, an abandoned desert airstrip, and transfer onto another plane owned by Cindino and his cartel. Poe finds Pinball's corpse trapped in the landing gear and writes a message to Larkin on the body before throwing it out. Larkin learns of the news and heads to Lerner after contacting the National Guard. Bedford, raiding the cargo, discovers Poe's identity when reading his parole letter and finding the toy bunny Poe intends to give to his daughter, forcing Poe to kill him.

The ''Jailbird'' is grounded at Lerner, with no sign of the transfer aircraft. Poe warns the others of Cindino's past acts of deceit and betrayal, and thus Grissom orders the others to fuel up the plane and get it ready for takeoff. Poe leaves to find Baby-O a syringe to give him insulin, meeting Larkin and informing him of the situation. They discover Cindino planning to escape on a hidden private jet, which Larkin sabotages. Grissom executes Cindino by igniting the plane's fuel. Meanwhile, Greene encounters a little girl, but resists the urge to kill her.

As the other inmates prepare the plane, Johnny 23 spots a National Guard convoy approaching and gives the alarm. The inmates find a cache of fully loaded shotguns and rifles in the cargo hold and prepare an ambush. As the National Guard arrives, the inmates launch an assault, resulting in a number of casualties, but Larkin defends the surviving troops using a bulldozer as a makeshift shield, while the surviving inmates flee back onto the ''Jailbird'' and take flight.

Poe's identity is revealed when Bedford's body is found. Grissom is about to execute him and Baby-O when Larkin and Malloy arrive in attack helicopters, damaging the ''Jailbird'' s fuel tank. Though Larkin orders the plane to land at McCarran International Airport, Swamp Thing is forced to land it on the Las Vegas Strip, causing mass destruction and killing Johnny 23. Grissom, Diamond Dog, and Swamp Thing escape on a fire truck, pursued by Poe and Larkin on police motorcycles. The chase leads to the deaths of all three escapees. Poe and Larkin form a friendship before the former meets his daughter for the first time and gives her the bunny. As the surviving inmates are apprehended, the only one unaccounted is Garland Greene, who gambles in a casino.

In the midst of the Great Depression, Alan Squier, a failed British writer, now a disillusioned, penniless drifter, wanders into a roadside diner in the remote town of Black Mesa, Arizona, at the edge of the Petrified Forest. The diner is run by Jason Maple, his daughter Gabrielle, and Gramp, Jason's father, who regales anyone who will listen with stories of his adventures in the Old West with such characters as Billy the Kid.

Gabrielle's mother, a French war bride who fell in love with Jason when he was a young, handsome American serviceman, left her "dull defeated man" after World War I and moved back to France when Gabrielle was a baby. She now sends poetry to Gabrielle, who dreams of moving to Bourges, where her parents first met, to become an artist. Alan tells his story—how he wrote one novel, then lived in France for eight years with his publisher's wife, trying to write another—and Gabrielle is instantly smitten with him.

Gabrielle shows Alan her paintings—the first time she has shown them to anyone—and reads him a favorite François Villon poem. Boze Hertzlinger, a beefy diner employee who has wooed Gabrielle in vain, grows jealous of Alan, who decides to leave forthwith. He mooches a ride from wealthy tourists Mr. and Mrs. Chisholm; but after only a few minutes on the road they encounter Duke Mantee, a notorious gangster fleeing a massive police pursuit, whose car has broken down. Duke and his gang seize the Chisholms' car and drive to the diner, where Duke has arranged to rendezvous with his girlfriend, Doris, on their way to Mexico. Alan, the Chisholms, and their chauffeur soon make their way back to the diner as well.

Alan, indifferent to the hostage situation, engages Duke in lively conversation and toasts him as "the last great apostle of rugged individualism." Boze snatches a rifle and gets the drop on Duke, but during a momentary distraction Duke draws his pistol and shoots Boze in the hand, regaining control. Duke learns that Doris has been captured, and has revealed their rendezvous location to the police. As police and federal agents converge on the diner, Duke prepares to flee, announcing that he will take Mr. and Mrs. Chisholm with him.

Inspired by Boze's act of courage, Alan responds to an impulse: While Gabrielle is in the back room bandaging Boze's hand, he produces a life insurance policy from his bag and amends it, making Gabrielle the beneficiary. Then he asks Duke to kill him ("It couldn't make any difference to you, Duke ... they can hang you only once ..."), so that Gabrielle can use the insurance money to realize her dream of moving to France. Duke obliges, then leaves with his human shields. Alan dies in Gabrielle's arms, secure in the knowledge that she, unlike the rest, will escape her dead-end existence to pursue her dreams.

Reporter Michael Ward is the key witness in a murder trial. His evidence – that he saw the accused, Joe Briggs, standing over the body of a man in a diner – is instrumental in having Briggs found guilty.

Afterwards, Ward's fiancée Jane begins worrying that Ward may not have been correct in what he saw; eventually Ward becomes haunted by this question.

One evening, outside his room in the house where he lives, Ward sees an odd-looking stranger. He chases this man down the stairs and out the front door where Ward loses track of him. Ward feels that his neighbor, a man he hates, may have been killed by the stranger. Ward has a terrifying dream in which the neighbor is indeed murdered and he comes under suspicion.

It turns out the neighbor was killed the same way as the man in the diner. Ward finds the body, notifies police and points out the similarities in the two murders. He is arrested and, in order to clear him, Jane sets out to find the strange man.

An aged gangster, Big Mac, is planning a robbery at a fashionable California resort hotel in the resort town of Tropico Springs in the Sierra Nevada. He wants the heist led by convicted bank robber Roy Earle, whose recent release from an Indiana prison was the result of Big Mac's bribing the governor. Roy drives cross-country to an abandoned logging camp in the mountains to meet with the three men who will assist him in the heist: Louis Mendoza, who works as a clerk in the hotel, Red, and Babe, who are already living at the camp. Babe has brought along his girlfriend Marie Garson, a dance hall performer from San Francisco.

Deriding Marie's involvement, Roy insists she return to her home in Los Angeles, but after an argument, he agrees to her staying. At the camp, Algernon, a handyman, introduces Roy to Pard, a small dog to whom he takes a liking. Roy decides to adopt the dog. Meanwhile, Marie falls in love with Roy, but he does not reciprocate. In Tropico Springs, Roy witnesses a minor car accident involving Ma and Pa Goodhue and their granddaughter Velma, a young woman with a clubbed foot who walks with a limp. Swiftly enamored with Velma, Roy pays for corrective surgery to allow her to walk normally, despite her grandfather's warning that Velma is engaged. While she is recovering, Roy asks Velma to marry him, but she refuses, explaining that she is devoted to her fiancé, Lon.

The group execute the heist at the hotel, but it goes awry when they are interrupted by a security guard. Roy makes his getaway with Marie, but Mendoza, Red, and Babe are involved in a car crash, killing Red and Babe. Mendoza is captured, and police question him. Roy and Marie drive to Los Angeles with the jewels, only to find that Big Mac has died of a heart attack and that Jake Kranmer, an ex-policeman, has taken over the operation. Kranmer tries to force Roy to give him the jewels, but a defiant Roy shoots him to death.

Back in Tropico Springs, Roy visits Velma, having promised her he would come to see her able to walk. He then meets with a fence who is to exchange money for the stolen jewels, but the man tells Roy he cannot pay him the $10,000 immediately. Still in possession of the jewels, Roy and Marie go into hiding at a hotel, but they panic when Roy's name and face make newspaper headlines, along with mentions of Marie and their dog, Pard.

Deciding that he would be safer on his own, Roy sends Marie to Las Vegas by bus. He returns to Los Angeles to exchange the jewels. However, he is forced to change direction upon noticing that police have set up roadblocks. Roy is pursued by police back into the mountains, where he is forced to abandon his car and flee on foot. Marie hears a news broadcast about the chase. She is subsequently interrogated by investigators, who try to persuade her to lure Roy out of hiding. She refuses, however, aware that Roy would rather die than return to prison. Regardless, she is forced to accompany the authorities on their search in the mountains. Meanwhile, Roy hides out behind a large rock on the mountainside.

At dawn, police set Pard free, and he soon locates Roy, who is awoken by the dog's barking. Assuming Marie has found him, Roy runs out onto a precipice, calling her name, only to be killed by a sharpshooter from above. Marie watches in horror from below as Roy's body topples down the mountain peak. Followed by officers, Marie rushes to Roy's body, as does Pard, who lies down next to him. As Marie is escorted away with Pard, she takes small comfort in knowing that Roy will not have to again face prison. She wanted to know what it meant for a guy to crash out, which is what Roy talked about. She asked Healy what it meant, and he said it meant to be free. Marie smiled, knowing that Roy was free of his troubles.

Within a few hours, Louisville, Kentucky cab driver John Winger loses his job, his apartment, his car, and his girlfriend Anita, who has grown tired of his immaturity. Realizing his limited prospects, he decides to join the Army. He talks his best friend Russell Ziskey, a vocational ESL teacher, into joining him, and they go to a recruiting office and are soon sent off to basic training at nearby Fort Arnold. Upon arrival, they meet their fellow recruits and their drill sergeant, Sergeant Hulka. Following in-processing, each recruit introduces himself and rationalizes joining the Army. One of them, Dewey "Ox" Oxberger, says he wants to lose weight and be respected by his fellow trainees and women in general. While outgoing, John stands out as a slacker throughout basic training, but he and Russell become romantically involved with MPs Louise Cooper and Stella Hansen.

After Hulka discovers that John and Russell have gone AWOL from basic training, Russell confesses his mistake, but John keeps silent. Hulka orders Russell to scrub garbage cans for 24 hours, while ordering the rest of the platoon to do kitchen patrol for the next two weekends. In the latrines, Hulka privately tells John that he is not soldier material. John then tells Hulka that he can kick him out of the Army if he desires, but to otherwise leave him alone. Hulka offers to allow John to punch him, but John misses and Hulka punches him in the stomach, reminding him to learn a lesson from the encounter. During the night, John attempts to escape back to Louisville. Russell awakens, discovers John's absence, finds him attempting to leave base and angrily intervenes, as John had suggested both of them should enlist. Louise and Stella find the two men fighting and drive them back to their barracks without reporting them, and John honors Russell's request for both of them to continue basic training.

As graduation approaches, Hulka is injured when the haughty and dull-witted Captain Stillman, the platoon's commanding officer, orders a mortar crew to fire without first setting target coordinates. Later, members of Hulka's platoon sneak off base and visit a mud wrestling bar, where John convinces Ox to wrestle with a group of women. When MPs and police raid the club, Stella and Louise help John and Russell escape. The rest of the platoon, including Ox, are returned to base, where Stillman reprimands them for being arrested and threatens to report them to the base commander, General Barnicke, and make them repeat basic training. John and Russell, after having sex with Stella and Louise, return to base, and John motivates the disheartened platoon with a speech and begins to prepare them for graduation. After a night of practice, they oversleep and almost miss the ceremony. They rush to the ceremony, where John leads them in an improvised, yet highly coordinated, drill display. Impressed upon learning that they completed training without a drill sergeant, Barnicke assigns them to work on his EM-50 project in Italy.

In Italy, the platoon is reunited with a recovered Hulka and tasked with guarding the EM-50 Urban Assault Vehicle, an armored personnel carrier disguised as a recreational vehicle. John and Russell steal the EM-50 to visit Stella and Louise, who are stationed in West Germany. When Stillman finds the vehicle missing, he launches an unauthorized mission to retrieve it, against Hulka's objections. Stillman inadvertently leads the platoon across the border into Czechoslovakia. Hulka jumps from the truck before the Soviet Army captures it, and makes a mayday radio call that John and Russell hear. Realizing that their platoon is in danger, John, Russell, Stella, and Louise take the EM-50 and infiltrate a Soviet base where the platoon is being held, and, aided by Hulka, rescue the platoon.

Upon returning to the US, John, Russell, Louise, Stella, and Hulka are hailed as heroes, and are each awarded the Distinguished Service Cross. Hulka retires and opens a restaurant franchise; Stella appears on the cover of ''Penthouse''; Cooper is interviewed for ''RoadLife'' magazine; Ox makes the cover of ''Tiger Beat''; Russell appears in ''Guts'' magazine; John appears on the cover of ''Newsworld''; and Captain Stillman is reassigned to a weather station near Nome, Alaska.

Growing up, friends Mitch Weaver and Sam McKenna are taught by Sam's hard-nosed father, "Pops" McKenna, not to "take crap from anyone". To that end, the pair plant a bunch of guns in a schoolyard bully's desk and have him arrested for gun possession; next, they catch a kid-fondling crossing guard in the act, after having applied Krazy Glue to the seat of Mitch's pants.

As adults, after losing fourteen jobs in three months and being dumped by his girlfriend, Mitch moves in with Sam and Pops, who then has a heart attack. In the hospital, Pops confides that, because of their parents' swinging lifestyle, he is also Mitch's father, meaning that Mitch and Sam are half-brothers. Even though Pops' heart is failing, Dr. Farthing, a hopeless gambler, will raise Mr. McKenna's position on the transplant waiting list if he is paid $50,000, to save himself from his bookie. Mitch and Sam get jobs in a cinema with an abusive manager and exact their revenge by showing ''Men In Black (Who Like To Have Sex With Each Other)'' to a packed house and get their manager fired. The other workers congratulate them and suggest they go into business.

Mitch and Sam open "Dirty Work", a revenge-for-hire business (the Dirty Work phone number is "555-0187", a fictitious number used later on ''Saturday Night Live''.). Mitch falls for a woman named Kathy who works for a shady used car dealer. After publicly embarrassing the dealer during a live television commercial (Mitch: "Here’s another dead hooker in this trunk!"), the duo exacts increasingly lucrative reprisals for satisfied customers until they interfere with unscrupulous local property developer Travis Cole. Cole tricks them into destroying "his" apartment building (actually owned by Mr. John Kirkpatrick, the landlord), promising to pay them enough to save Pops. Afterwards, Cole reneges, revealing that he is not the owner and that he had them vandalize the building so that he could buy it cheaply, evict the tenants (including Kathy's grandmother), and build a parking lot for his beloved opera house. Unknown to Cole, Mitch's "note to self" mini-tape recorder captures this confession.

Mitch and Sam plot their revenge on Cole, using the tape to set up an elaborate trap. Using skunks, a loyal army of prostitutes, homeless men, a noseless friend, brownies with hallucinogenic additives, and Pops, they ruin the opening night of ''Don Giovanni'', an opera sponsored prominently by Cole. With the media present, Mitch plays back Cole's confession over the theater's sound system. Cole sees that his public image is being tarnished and agrees to pay the $50,000. In the end, Cole is punched in the stomach, arrested and jailed, his dog is raped by a skunk, Pops gets his operation, and Mitch gets the girl. Dr. Farthing overcomes his gambling habit, but gets beaten to death by the bookies anyway. "That's it. Bye!"

Railway agent Mike Flannery wants to charge the livestock rate for a shipment of two guinea pigs and refuses to accept the lower pet rate, saying "pigs is pigs". Flannery believes that the "guinea" is an indication of the pigs' national origin. He argues that they should bear the higher freight charge of 30¢ for livestock, rather than the lower 25¢ for domestic pets. In support of this, he submits that if they were "dago pigs" or "Irish pigs", there would be no question of the animals' status.

Because the customer refuses to accept delivery, Flannery is forced to feed and house what he now calls the "dago pigs" in his office, until he receives permission from his superiors to return the pigs to the company warehouse. By this time, the guinea pigs have reproduced exponentially in Flannery's station house. After returning all the descendants, Flannery resolves to charge the lower rate for any future livestock.

The story centers around Multivac, a self-adjusting and self-correcting computer. Multivac had been fed data for decades, assessing data and answering questions, allowing man to reach beyond the planetary confines of Earth. However, in the year 2061, Multivac began to understand deeper fundamentals of humanity. In each of the first six scenes, a different character presents the computer with the same question, how the threat to human existence posed by the heat death of the universe can be averted: "How can the net amount of entropy of the universe be massively decreased?" That is equivalent to asking, "Can the workings of the second law of thermodynamics (used in the story as the increase of the entropy of the universe) be reversed?" Multivac's only response after much "thinking" is "INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR MEANINGFUL ANSWER."

The story jumps forward in time into later eras of human and scientific development. These new eras highlight humanity's goals of searching for "more"; more space, more energy, more planets to inhabit once the current one becomes overcrowded. As humanity's imprint on the universe expands, computers have subsequently become more compact, as evidenced in the "Microvac"s, a smaller and more advanced iteration of Multivac, noted in the second era of the story, which details humanity's inhabitation on "Planet X-23". In each era, someone decides to ask the ultimate "last question" regarding the reversal and decrease of entropy. Each time that Multivac's descendant is asked the question, it finds itself unable to solve the problem, and all it can answer is (linguistically increasingly-sophisticated) "THERE IS AS YET INSUFFICIENT DATA FOR A MEANINGFUL ANSWER."

In the last scene, the god-like descendant of humanity, the unified mental process of over a trillion, trillion, trillion humans who have spread throughout the universe, watches the stars flicker out, one by one, as matter and energy end, and with them, space and time. Humanity asks AC ("Automatic Computer"), Multivac's ultimate descendant that exists in hyperspace beyond the bounds of gravity or time, the entropy question one last time, before the last of humanity merges with AC and disappears. AC is still unable to answer but continues to ponder the question even after space and time cease to exist. AC ultimately realizes that it has not yet combined all of its available data in every possible combination and so begins the arduous process of rearranging and combining every last bit of information that it has gained throughout the eons and through its fusion with humanity. Eventually AC discovers the answer—that the reversal of entropy is, in fact, possible—but has nobody to report it to, since the universe is already dead. It therefore decides to answer by demonstration. The story ends with AC's pronouncement:

And AC said: "LET THERE BE LIGHT!" And there was light—

Kevin Caffrey, a thief and connoisseur, meets Amber Belhaven, who is auctioning off her father's painting to pay a hotel bill. He asks her which hotel room she's staying at, seemingly under the pretense of sleeping with her, and shows up to her room with the painting she auctioned off, having stolen it. Kevin tells Amber about his stealing business, which shocks Amber at first, but she accepts it in order to be with Kevin. She later gives Kevin her father's lucky ring.

Elsewhere, Max Fairbanks, a snarky businessman whose company, TUI, is going into bankruptcy, is going over with his lawyer, Walter Greenbaum, on how to save his company. Walter is exhausted as Max does not take the proceeding seriously and still spends freely, even asking to declare bankruptcy immediately without trying to budget so his assets are protected. He tells his wife, Lutetia Fairbanks, that his company is in a technical procedure to disguise what his company is really going into.

Kevin learns about Max from his friend Berger, a fellow thief who happens to know what places to hit. Berger tells him about Max's current situation with his company, as well as what he couldn't access due to the critical condition of the chapter 11 bankruptcy code, which includes going into his beachfront mansion. When the two go to rob Max, Max manages to capture Kevin and call the police. Before the police take Kevin away, Max spots Amber's ring and tells the police that the ring was also stolen, forcing Kevin to hand over the ring. After escaping from the police, Kevin returns to the beach house to get his ring back from Max, but fails to find him. Angry at Max, Kevin finishes off what he started by robbing Max of the valuables inside the house and one of Max's three cars outside. Kevin tells Amber that the ring was stolen from him.

The next day, Walter informs Max he was banned from his summer house and his being there breached the terms of his bankruptcy. Max says he'll be fine, believing the ring to be a lucky charm. Meanwhile, Kevin and Berger hire Shelly Nix, a computer hacker, to track Max's whereabouts by hacking into his e-mail. During an airplane flight, Max talks to his associate Gloria, a psychic, about the ring. Gloria consults her cards, and draws a king with five daggers on his head. Shocked at the result, Gloria doesn't tell Max what she drew and pretends that her phone connection is breaking up. Max meets a judge that he thought he paid off to keep his house, but his insults lead to the judge ordering him to sell his house and his contents at a public auction.

After the crooks rob another one of Max's houses, Max meets with Detective Alex Tardio of the Robbery Division and calls his head of security, Earl Redburn.

Kevin finds out from Shelly that Max is going to Washington, D.C., for a Senate hearing and has an apartment there. There, Kevin learns that Max intends to secretly bribe the senators and replaces the bribe money with insulting notes in Max's name. Max and Earl later storm into the apartment, having deduced Kevin's presence there. In the ensuing scuffle, Kevin tries to steal back the ring, but instead steals Max's wedding ring. Afterwards, Amber decides that Kevin's feud with Max has gone too far and that she no longer cares about the ring. While Max later addresses the Senate Committee, he gets a call from Kevin who tells him that if Max will give him his ring back he will give him back his. Max refuses and proceeds to repeatedly curse at Kevin, appearing to be speaking to the senators, and other viewers. This results in the hearing ending poorly for Max. Upon returning to his apartment in Philadelphia, Walter quits as his lawyer and Earl tells him that he was hacked.

Kevin goes to his uncle Jack, the owner of a local bar he and Amber used to meet at, to find out where she is. Jack warns Kevin to stop robbing Max out of personal conflict and to forget about the ring, although he changes his mind about the warning upon hearing from Berger how much they could get out of robbing Max.

Max gets a call from Lutetia about Max's behavior on TV, and tells him not to come home, while Amber breaks up with Kevin due to his obsession with Max and the ring. Lutetia finds Amber at Jack's bar wearing a jacket of hers that Kevin stole from their house and confronts her. Amber tells her that Max stole the ring she gave to Kevin. Knowing that they are both in the same situation, they come up with a plan.

Gloria, thinking about Max, still draws the same card and decides to come clean. Noticing how bad it is, she tells him to put an end to it, but Max still refuses to give up Kevin's ring. Realizing Max's arrogant determination to keep the ring, she quits being his associate, and goes to Tardio to give him Max's company records.

At the bankruptcy auction, Lutetia tells Max that she wishes him well and sends him a masseuse. While Earl keeps looking out for Kevin through his monitors, the crooks steal as much as they can and flee. Windham plants smoke bombs to obscure their escape and calls the fire brigade. Later on, Shelly plants a video of Kevin delivering a message to Max that he was being robbed without him being there on Earl's monitors. Enraged, Max goes out into the smoke to find Kevin, but a firefighter, actually Kevin in disguise, drags him out of the smoke and steals the ring. Kevin steals Max's boat to escape, but Max jumps onto the boat and struggles with Kevin to get back the ring. While hitting a buoy, causing the boat to sink, they find out that the ring is a fake, the ring having an inscription inside it that said: "Grow up.", a message that they both got from their lovers. Max realizes that Lutetia had induced the masseuse to steal the ring during his massage.

When Tardio finds Max and Kevin, Kevin tells him that he was saving Max. Max corroborates his story, telling Tardio that he had never met Kevin. Kevin thanks Max and tells him that he owes him one. While going back to the hotel where Amber used to be before she moved in with Kevin, she shows him the ring, revealing that she was the masseuse. She tells Kevin that the ring had bad luck and that he should throw it away. Kevin agrees and flings the ring out of sight and gets back together with Amber. Kevin, pretending to be Max's lawyer, fixes the Senate hearing and goes into the press conference victorious. When it is over, Max and Kevin part ways. As they do so, Kevin steals one of Max's watches.

High-achieving high school student Joel Goodsen lives with his wealthy parents in the Chicago North Shore area of Glencoe. His father wants him to attend Princeton University, his ''alma mater'', so Joel participates in Future Enterprisers, an extracurricular activity in which students work in teams to create small businesses. When his parents go away on a trip, Joel's friend, Miles, convinces him to use his newfound freedom to have some fun. On the first night, he raids the liquor cabinet, plays the stereo loudly, joyrides in his father's car and dances around the living room in his briefs and button-down shirt to "Old Time Rock and Roll". The following day, Miles calls a prostitute named Jackie on Joel's behalf. When Jackie turns out to be a drag queen, Joel pays her just to leave, but before she does, she gives Joel the number for another prostitute named Lana. That night, Joel is unable to sleep and hesitantly calls Lana, who is revealed as a gorgeous blonde woman, and they spend the entire night having sex.

The next morning, Lana asks Joel for $300 for her services. He goes to the bank, but when he returns, Lana is gone, along with his mother's expensive Steuben glass egg. Joel finds Lana and demands the egg back, but Lana's pimp Guido interrupts them, pulling a gun. While in his father's Porsche 928, Joel is chased by Guido, but eventually escapes. Lana tells Joel that the egg is with the rest of her belongings at Guido's. Joel lets Lana stay at his house while he goes to school. When he returns, his friends have come over, and Lana has invited another prostitute, Vicki, to stay, but Joel rejects the idea. The women leave, only to encounter Guido and get into an altercation on Joel's front lawn before running back into his house. Joel agrees to the women spending one more night. Later that night, Joel, Lana, Vicki, and Joel's friend Barry go out and get high on marijuana. After Lana accidentally bumps the Porsche out of gear while retrieving her purse, the car rolls down the hill and onto a pier (despite Joel's desperate attempt to stop it); the pier collapses, and the Porsche sinks into Lake Michigan.

When Joel takes the car to a repair shop, he is horrified to learn how much fixing it will cost. He and Lana later decide to turn his parents' house into a brothel for a night; Joel's share of the profits will pay for the repairs. The party is hugely successful; the house is packed with Joel's friends and classmates and Lana's co-workers. However, the recruiter from Princeton, Rutherford, chooses that night to interview Joel for admission to Princeton. The interview is plagued by interruptions, and Rutherford is unimpressed by Joel's résumé. Afterwards, he stays at the party and becomes acquainted with Lana's friends. After the party, Joel and Lana make love on the Chicago "L".

The next morning, Joel finds his house has been burgled. When he tries to call Lana, Guido answers; he tells Joel that he will let Joel buy back his furniture. Joel and his friends manage to get everything moved back in just as his parents walk in, though his mother notices a crack in her egg. Later, Joel's father congratulates him; the interviewer was very impressed, and Joel will be accepted into Princeton.

Joel meets Lana at a restaurant, and they speculate about their future. She tells him that she wants to keep on seeing him; he jokes that it will cost her.

Teenager Dorothy Gale lives on a Kansas farm owned by her Uncle Henry and Aunt Em, who are assisted by three farm hands: Zeke, Hunk and Hickory. When Dorothy's dog Toto bites the wealthy Almira Gulch, Miss Gulch obtains a sheriff's order authorizing her to seize the dog to be euthanized. Toto escapes and returns to Dorothy, who runs away to protect her dog.

Professor Marvel, a charlatan fortune teller, tells her to go home because Aunt Em is heartbroken. Dorothy returns just as a tornado approaches the farm. Unable to get into the locked storm shelter, Dorothy takes cover in the farmhouse and is knocked out by a shattered window. The tornado lifts the house and drops it on an unknown land.

Dorothy awakens and is greeted by short people known as Munchkins, and a "good" witch named Glinda, who explains Dorothy is in Munchkinland in the land of Oz. The Munchkins are celebrating because the house landed on the Wicked Witch of the East. Her sister, the Wicked Witch of the West, appears in a puff of smoke. Before she can seize her deceased sister's ruby slippers, Glinda magically transports them onto Dorothy's feet and tells her to keep them on, as they must be very powerful. Because the Wicked Witch has no power in Munchkinland, she leaves in another puff of smoke, but only after telling Dorothy, "I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog too!" Glinda knows of only one person who might know how to help Dorothy return home: the Wizard of Oz. Dorothy is directed to follow a yellow brick road that goes to the Emerald City, the Wizard's home.

Along the way, she meets the Scarecrow, who wants a brain; the Tin Man, who desires a heart; and the Cowardly Lion, who lacks courage. The foursome and Toto eventually reach the Emerald City, despite the best efforts of the Wicked Witch. Dorothy is initially denied an audience with the Wizard by his doorman. The doorman, however, relents and the four are led into the Wizard's chambers. The Wizard appears as a giant ghostly head and tells them he will grant their wishes if they bring him the Wicked Witch's broomstick.

During their quest, Dorothy is captured by flying monkeys and taken to the Wicked Witch, but the ruby slippers protect her. The Scarecrow, Tin Man and Cowardly Lion free Dorothy, but are pursued by the Witch and her guards. They are cornered by the Witch, who sets fire to the Scarecrow. When Dorothy throws a bucket of water onto the Scarecrow, she inadvertently splashes the Witch, which causes her to melt away.

The Witch's guards gratefully give Dorothy her broomstick. The four return to the Wizard, but he tells them to return tomorrow. When Toto pulls back a curtain, the Wizard is revealed to be just an ordinary man, operating machinery that projects the ghostly image of his face. The four travelers confront him, upon which he confesses that he, like Dorothy, accidentally arrived in Oz from America. He then "grants" the wishes of Dorothy's three friends by giving them tokens that symbolize that they always had the qualities they sought.

The Wizard offers to take Dorothy back to Kansas with him aboard his hot air balloon. However, after Toto jumps off and Dorothy goes after him, the balloon accidentally lifts off with just the Wizard aboard. Glinda reappears and tells Dorothy she always had the power to return to Kansas with the help of the ruby slippers, but had to find that out for herself. After sharing a tearful farewell with her friends, Dorothy heeds Glinda's instructions by tapping her heels three times and repeating the words, "There's no place like home." She is transported back to Kansas.

She awakens in her bed with a washcloth on her injured head and is attended to by her aunt, uncle and the farm hands. Professor Marvel stops by as Dorothy describes Oz, telling the farm hands and the Professor they were there too. (The actors who portrayed Marvel and the farmhands also played the characters in Oz.) Unfazed by their disbelief, Dorothy gratefully exclaims, "There's no place like home!"

In the summer of 1947, a pretentious thirteen-year-old girl called "Miss" Lily Jane Bobbit is liked by two boys, who are best friends. Using the funniest vocabulary and the ever so heavy accent, she manages to win the attraction of the town's people, including the love of the two best friends. As the story continues, it must be decided as to whether or not the two boys will remain best friends, as only one of them can win Miss Bobbit's heart.

In the pilot episode, two World War I soldiers stumble across the body of an officer while crossing no-man's land under heavy gunfire during the Battle of Amiens in 1918. Assuming the officer is dead, one soldier, Alf Stokes (Paul Shane), attempts to rob the officer, much to the disgust of his comrade, James Twelvetrees (Jeffrey Holland). After it becomes apparent that the unconscious officer is not dead, the two men see their chance to escape the battle by carrying the officer to a field hospital. The two soldiers are later called to see the officer, The Honourable Teddy Meldrum (Michael Knowles), who says he is eternally grateful for their services, and tells them he will always be in their debt.

The action then cuts to London in 1927, where James Twelvetrees has become the footman in the house of Teddy's brother Lord Meldrum (Donald Hewlett), at 12 Park Lane, Mayfair, and wants to further his position following the death of the butler.

Meanwhile, Alf and his daughter, Ivy (Su Pollard), have just been sacked from their jobs in a music hall (Alf took the music hall job after being dismissed for dishonesty as a butler). Alf sees his chance to apply for a job at the Meldrum's house, and after blackmailing his previous employer for references, becomes the new butler, much to the annoyance of James. Following the dismissal of a maid, after a backstairs relationship with the Honourable Teddy, Ivy is brought in by her father as the new maid (to hide the fact that she is Alf's daughter, the two decide that Ivy should use her mother's maiden name, Teasdale).

The programme follows the various relationships between the upper-class and their servants, as well as Alf's scheming and James's attempts to stop him. The events depicted in the 26 episodes are time-lined though not directly following each other and are based mainly around the following threads:

• Moral combat between Alf, James and Ivy, as Alf keeps developing schemes in order to achieve some fortune (and usually fails) and James and Ivy try to stop his actions *Clashes about politics between James and Alf (James is a Conservative voter whilst Alf often talks of class struggle and revolution)
• Adultery triangle between Lord Meldrum, Lady Agatha (Angela Scoular) and Sir Ralph (John Horsley)
• James arousing romantic interest in Poppy (Susie Brann), Lady Agatha, and Ivy
• Developing love affair between Alf and Mrs Lipton (Brenda Cowling), and between Mrs Lipton and Police Constable Wilson (Bill Pertwee)
• Efforts of Teddy to dodge the marriage with Madge Cartwright (Yvonne Marsh)
• Teddy's pursuit of servant girls
• Lord Meldrum's threats to deport Teddy to his rubber plantation in British Malaya;
• Ivy's growing affections for James
• Business rise, fall and recovery of the House of Meldrum and its most important asset, the Union Jack Rubber Company;
• The unpredictable actions of Lady Lavender (Mavis Pugh).

Following a tip from a Klingon ship, the Federation starship ''Enterprise'', under the command of Captain Jean-Luc Picard, finds debris from an Earth ship orbiting an uninhabitable alien planet. A sample of the debris beamed aboard shows NASA markings and a 52-star American flag, dating the ship to the mid-to-late 21st century and establishing that it had traveled far beyond the capability of ships of that era. Scans of the planet reveal a small anomalous area capable of supporting human life, so Commander Riker, Lt. Worf, and Lt. Commander Data beam down to investigate, and find a revolving door standing alone in a dark void. Upon entering, they find themselves in an old Earth-style hotel and casino called The Royale, where they are cut off from contact with the ''Enterprise''.

The away team soon discovers they are trapped inside the casino, and after making several unsuccessful attempts to leave, they decide to explore the building. In a hotel room, they find the desiccated but preserved remains of Col. Stephen Richey, a NASA astronaut, and a pulp novel entitled ''Hotel Royale''. Upon reading Richey's diary, they learn that his starship had launched in 2037, been accidentally contaminated by an unknown alien race, then transported through a wormhole across the galaxy; he was the only survivor. Taking pity on him, the aliens created The Royale for him, thinking the novel's story represented humans' preferred way of living, whereas Richey found it unbearable thanks to the poor quality of the novel. He lived there for 38 years until his death, and his remains have been in the room for 283 years.

Riker, Data, and Worf realize that the plot has been recreated in detail by the aliens and is playing out around them, and surmise that they might be able to leave if the story dictates that they do so. They assume the role of a trio of foreign investors described in the novel, who eventually leave the hotel after buying it. Data begins to play craps, using his winnings from an earlier visit to the blackjack table, but soon senses that the dice are loaded to favor the house. He compresses them in his hand to readjust their weight distribution in his favor, then goes on a winning streak that breaks the bank and wins over 24 million dollars. The three Starfleet officers then announce themselves as the foreign investors and buy the hotel with their winnings, as well as giving some away to the staff and other gamblers, fulfilling the novel's plot events and allowing them to leave. Back on the Enterprise Riker and Picard speculate on the alien contamination of colonel Richey's ship, how it could've gotten so far away from Earth and how similarly to Fermat's Last Theorem this mystery might continue to elude them.

A naive, unintelligent, socially inept, loud-mouth cowboy, Beauregard Decker, and his friend and father-figure Virgil Blessing take the bus from Timber Hill, Montana to Phoenix, Arizona, to participate in a rodeo. Virgil has encouraged the 21-year-old virgin, Beau, to take an interest in "girls". Initially reluctant and frightened of the idea, Beau declares that he hopes to find an "angel" and will know her when he sees her. Making trouble everywhere they go, he continues his unsophisticated behavior in Grace's Diner. In Phoenix, at the Blue Dragon Cafe, he imagines himself in love with the café's singer, Chérie, an ambitious performer from the Ozarks with aspirations of becoming a Hollywood star. Her rendition of "That Old Black Magic" entrances him and he forces her outside, despite the establishment's rules against it, kisses her and thinks that means they are engaged. Chérie is physically attracted to him but resists his plans to take her back to Montana. She has no intention of marrying him and tells him so, but he is too stubborn to listen.

The next day, Beau gets a marriage license, and then takes an exhausted Chérie to the rodeo parade and the rodeo, where he rides the bucking bronco and then competes in the calf roping and the bull riding. Beau intends to marry Chérie at the rodeo, but she runs away. He tracks her down at the Cafe, where she jumps out a rear window and flees. Beau catches her, and forces her on the bus back to Montana. On the way, they stop at Grace's Diner, the same place the bus stopped on the way to Phoenix. Chérie tries to make another getaway while Beau is asleep on the bus, but the road ahead is blocked by snow and the bus won't be leaving at all. They are all stranded there. The bus driver Carl, the waitress Elma, and the café owner Grace by now all have learned that Beau is kidnapping and bullying the girl. Virgil and the bus driver fight him until he promises to apologize to Chérie and leave her alone. He, however, is unable to do so because he is humiliated about having been beaten.

The next morning, the storm has cleared and everybody is free to go. Beau finally apologizes to Chérie for his abusive behavior and begs her forgiveness. He wishes her well and prepares to depart without her. Chérie approaches him and confesses that she's had many boyfriends and is not the kind of woman he thinks she is. Beau confesses his lack of experience to her. Beau asks to kiss her goodbye and they share their first real kiss. All Chérie wanted from a man was respect, which she had previously told the waitress when they sat together on the bus. This new Beau attracts Chérie. He accepts her past and this gesture touches her heart. She tells him that she will go anywhere with him. Virgil decides to stay behind. When Beau tries to coerce him to go with them, Chérie reminds him that he can't force Virgil to do what he wants. Having finally apparently learned his lesson, Beau offers Chérie his jacket and gallantly helps her onto the bus.

One night, thirteen-year-old Meg Murry meets an eccentric new neighbor, Mrs Whatsit, who refers to something called a tesseract. She later finds out it is a scientific concept her father was working on before his mysterious disappearance. The following day, Meg, her child genius brother Charles, and fellow schoolmate Calvin visit Mrs Whatsit's home, where the equally strange Mrs Who and the unseen voice of Mrs Which promise to help Meg find and rescue her father.

Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which turn out to be supernatural beings who transport Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin O'Keefe through the universe by means of a tesseract, a fifth-dimensional phenomenon explained as folding the fabric of space and time; this form of travel is called ''tessering''. Their first stop is the planet Uriel, a Utopian world filled with Centaur-like beings who live in a state of light and love. The Mrs Ws reveal to the children that the universe is under attack from an evil being who appears as a large dark cloud called The Black Thing, which is essentially the personification of evil. The children are taken to Orion's Belt to visit the Happy Medium, a woman with a crystal ball through which they see that Earth is partially covered by the darkness, although great religious figures, philosophers, scientists, and artists have been fighting against it. Mrs Whatsit is revealed to be a former star who exploded in an act of self-sacrifice to fight the darkness.

The children travel to the dark planet of Camazotz, which has succumbed to the Black Thing and where Meg's father is trapped because he would not succumb to the group mind that causes inhabitants to behave in a mechanical way. In order to find their father, Charles Wallace deliberately allows himself to be hypnotized. He takes Meg and Calvin to the place where Meg's father, Alexander, is being held prisoner. Charles Wallace then takes them to IT, the evil disembodied brain with powerful abilities that controls the planet. Using special powers from Mrs Who's glasses, Alexander tessers Calvin, Meg, and himself to the planet Ixchel before IT can control them all. Charles Wallace is left behind, still under the influence of IT and Meg is paralyzed from injuries sustained during the trip. An inhabitant of the planet with featureless faces, tentacles and four arms proves to be both wise and gentle and cures Meg's paralysis, prompting her to nickname it “Aunt Beast”.

The trio of Mrs Whatsit, Mrs Who, and Mrs Which arrive and charge Meg with rescuing Charles Wallace from IT. Arriving at the building where IT resides, they find Charles Wallace under IT's influence. Inspired by hints from the Mrs Ws, Meg focuses all her love at Charles Wallace and is able to free him from IT's control. They all then tesser back to Earth and the Mrs Ws leave.

With many of the seals on his prison broken, the Dark One has grown in power. He causes global warming, revives the Forsaken Aginor and Balthamel as Osan'gar and Aran'gar, and creates Shaidar Haran, his Myrddraal incarnation.

In response to Rand al'Thor's amnesty on male channelers, Mazrim Taim swears allegiance to him. Together they form the Black Tower, which trains male channelers called ''Asha'man''. Rand is diplomatically courted by both the rebel Aes Sedai in Salidar, who send an envoy to Caemlyn, and the Aes Sedai of the White Tower, who send an envoy (many of which are in fact Black Ajah) to Cairhien. In an unsuccessful attempt to control Rand, Alanna Mosvani of the rebel Aes Sedai bonds Rand as her Warder against his will. Additionally, Min Farshaw, who had traveled with the Salidar Aes Sedai, reunites with Rand and gives him much-needed emotional support. Rand later discovers Salidar's location and sends Mat Cauthon there, to retrieve Elayne Trakand who will rule Caemlyn and Cairhien in his stead.

Perrin Aybara leaves the Two Rivers to join Rand in Caemlyn.

The deposed Queen of Andor, Morgase Trakand, goes to Amadicia for aid in returning to the throne but is instead taken captive by the Lord Captain Commander of the Children of the Light, Pedron Niall.

In Salidar, Elayne and Nynaeve al'Meara have made numerous magical discoveries thanks to Moghedien, who they secretly hold in captivity. In a feat previously believed to be impossible even in the Age of Legends, Nynaeve Heals Siuan Sanche, Leane Sharif, and Logain Ablar, restoring their abilities to channel. Egwene al'Vere is named the Amyrlin of the rebel Aes Sedai and travels to Salidar through ''Tel'aran'rhiod''. Upon arrival, she unofficially raises Nynaeve and Elayne to Aes Sedai and sends them and Aviendha to Ebou Dar to search for a ''ter'angreal'' called the "Bowl of the Winds" to break the Dark One's control of the climate. Mat arrives at this time and reluctantly goes with them. After their departure, Egwene secretly arranges the escape of Logain, who then goes to the Black Tower. Aran'gar infiltrates Salidar and frees Moghedien.

Shortly after Perrin joins him, Rand is kidnapped by Elaida's Aes Sedai, who torture him ''en route'' to Tar Valon. Learning of the kidnapping, Perrin leads Rand's followers to the climactic Battle of Dumai's Wells. At the end of the battle, the rebel Aes Sedai are forced to swear fealty to the Dragon Reborn while the surviving White Tower Aes Sedai remain captives.

Ponyboy Curtis, a teenaged member of a loose gang of "greasers", is leaving a movie theater when he is jumped by "Socs", the greasers' rival gang. Several greasers, including Ponyboy's two older brothers—the paternal Darry and the popular Sodapop—come to his rescue. The next night, Ponyboy and two greaser friends, the hardened Dally and the quiet Johnny, meet Cherry and Marcia, a pair of Soc girls, at a drive-in movie theater. Cherry spurns Dally's rude advances, but Ponyboy ends up speaking civilly with Cherry, emotionally connecting with a Soc for the first time in his life.

Afterward, Ponyboy, Johnny, and their wisecracking friend Two-Bit begin to walk Cherry and Marcia home, when they are stopped by Cherry's boyfriend Bob, who badly beat up Johnny a few months back. Bob and the greasers exchange taunts, but Cherry prevents a fight by willingly leaving with Bob. Ponyboy gets home at two in the morning, enraging Darry until he suddenly slaps Ponyboy. Pony runs out the door and meets up with Johnny, expressing his anger at Darry's increasing coldness in the wake of his parents' recent deaths in a car crash.

Running away from home, Ponyboy and Johnny wander into a park, where Bob and four other Socs surround them. After some heated talk, Ponyboy spits at the Socs, prompting them to attempt to drown him in a nearby fountain, but Johnny stabs Bob, killing him and dispersing the rest. Terrified as to what to do next, Ponyboy and Johnny rush to find Dally, who gives them money and a loaded gun, directing them to hide in an abandoned church in Windrixville. During their stay there, Pony cuts and dyes his hair as a disguise, reads ''Gone with the Wind'' to Johnny, and, upon viewing a beautiful sunrise, recites the poem "Nothing Gold Can Stay" by Robert Frost.

Days later, Dally comes to check on them, revealing that violence between the greasers and Socs has escalated since Bob's death into all-out city-wide warfare, with Cherry acting out of guilt as a spy for the greasers. Johnny decides to turn himself in and Dally agrees to take the boys back home. As they attempt to leave, they notice the church has caught fire and several local schoolchildren have become trapped inside. The greasers run inside the burning church to save the children, but Ponyboy is rendered unconscious by the fumes. At the hospital he discovers that he and Dally are not badly injured, but a piece of the church roof fell on Johnny and broke his back. Sodapop and Darry come to the hospital; Darry breaks down and cries. Ponyboy then realizes that Darry cares about him, and is only hard on him because he loves him and cares about his future.

The following morning the newspapers declare Pony and Johnny heroes, but Johnny will be charged with manslaughter for Bob's death. Two-Bit tells them that the greaser–Soc rivalry is to be settled in a final rumble. Ponyboy and Two-Bit are approached by a Soc named Randy, Bob's best friend, who expresses remorse for his involvement in the gang war, lacks confidence about the rumble ending the feud, and says he will not participate.

Later, Ponyboy visits Johnny at the hospital, where he is in critical condition. On their way home, Pony spots Cherry and they talk. Cherry says she is unwilling to visit Johnny in the hospital because he killed her boyfriend. Pony calls her a traitor, but after she explains herself they end on good terms. After escaping the hospital, Dally shows up just in time for the rumble. The greasers win the brutal fight. Afterward, Pony and Dally hurry back to the hospital to see Johnny, but he dies moments later and a maniacal Dally runs out of the room. Pony returns home that night feeling confused and disoriented. Dally calls the house to say that he has robbed a store and is running from the police. The greasers find Dally deliberately pointing an unloaded gun at the police, causing them to shoot and kill him. Overwhelmed, Ponyboy faints and is sick in bed for many days due to the resulting concussion from the rumble. When the hearing finally comes, the judge frees Ponyboy from responsibility for Bob's death and allows Pony to remain at home with Darry and Soda.

Ponyboy returns to school, but his grades drop. Although he is failing English, his teacher, Mr. Syme, says he will pass him if he writes a decent theme. In the copy of ''Gone with the Wind'' that Johnny gave him before dying, Ponyboy finds a letter from Johnny describing how he will die proudly after saving the kids from the fire. Johnny also urges Ponyboy to "stay gold". Ponyboy decides to write his English assignment about the recent events, and begins his essay with the opening line of the novel: "When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house, I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home..."

The show revolves around a group of friends in their mid 20s to early 30s who live in a St Kilda block of flats. Their interaction with one another, relationships with other friends, and romantic interests, along with their personal and career developments, are featured.

The actual block is 14A Acland Street, St. Kilda and the rooftop is at the Belvedere Flats on the Esplanade in the same suburb.