The banns are called for the third time for the marriage of Italian Princess Angela Chiaromonte (Helen Hayes) and the husband chosen by her father (Lewis Stone), Ernesto Traversi. Driving home through streets filled with revelers celebrating a saint's feast day, their limousine is rear-ended by a car full of officers, driven by Giovanni Severi (Clark Gable), a handsome army lieutenant. Traversi, the son of a banker, is 31, rather stuffy, preoccupied with business. Angela is a warm-hearted, impulsive, romantic, innocent young woman, who dreams every night of a handsome man she has never met. Angela persuades her duenna, Mina, to go outside to the Carnival, where they admire the antics of a pantomime horse. The horse approaches Angela, and she asks its name. “Giovanni” it replies, in the voice of the handsome lieutenant, and the horse—or rather the front half—follows Angela through the crowd while Mina is swept away by the revelers. Giovanni seats Angela in a quiet restaurant where they have tea and talk for hours. He tells her he loves her and sees her home, filling her arms with flowers.

Giovanni and his Colonel come to a ball given by Prince Chiaromonte. In the garden, Giovanni and Angela kiss for the first time; her father interrupts them. Giovanni declares that he wants to marry her and is forced to leave. Angela tells her father that the kiss revealed to her how much she loves Giovanni; now she knows, she cannot marry a man she does not love.

Angela runs away to Giovanni. Her father pursues her and, in a freak accident, their cars collide and her father is killed. Angela disappears, but Father Saracinesca gives Giovanni her address. He comes to her but, wracked by grief and guilt, she sends him away. Italy joins the War, and Giovanni comes to say goodbye. She gives him the cross she wears around her neck, for luck. He gives her an ivory whistle.

Giovanni is shot down and officially declared dead. In fact, he has been taken in by a German woman who is half Italian. Angela tells Father Saracinesca that she will never marry anyone, and that she believes God wants her to serve him as a nun. At the convent, Angela receives her postulant's habit and learns that she will be trained as a nurse. Her first lesson is never to use the word “mine.”

Meanwhile, Giovanni leaves his refuge. When he is finally captured, he gives a false name. In the prison camp, there is no way to get word out. Two years later, Giovanni emerges from a long session in solitary confinement to find an epidemic of cholera in the camp. He takes the place of a corpse, steals a plane and flies off into the night. Angela takes her final vows as a bride of Christ.

Home again and finding no trace of Angela, Giovanni goes looking for Father Saracinesca at the hospital. The nun who comes out to help him is Angela. She swoons and he catches her in his arms; they almost kiss, but she flees into the convent in horror. She prays for strength and eventually comes out to him. Their conversation is agonizing: She can't speak and says goodbye. Later Angela is sent out to a villa to help a patient, who turns out to be Giovanni. He implores her to give up the order, but she refuses. He tells her she can petition the Cardinal but she holds by her vows. He embraces her, but an air-raid breaks a window and shrouds the room in darkness. He finds Angela kneeling in prayer, repeating her vow. He takes her back to the convent. She says she will remember him and pray for him always.

Later, at the hospital, Father Saracinesca brings her to Giovanni's bedside. His plane crashed. He tells her “I'll be waiting,” and dies, holding the little cross she gave him when he went off to war.

Alim is a young gay man, born in Kenya and raised in Toronto, Canada. He moved to London to get away from his conservative Muslim upbringing. When his widowed mother, Nuru, announces an unplanned visit that involves staying with him, it creates hardship in the relationship with his boyfriend Giles because they must pretend to be only flatmates, and forces Alim to deal with coming out to his mother. Meanwhile, Alim has an imaginary friend who appears as Cary Grant, and gives Alim advice when he is in trouble; unfortunately, the advice often seems to result in more trouble.

Season one

Season one revolves around two main events: Coach Eric Taylor beginning as head coach and the injury and paralysis of star quarterback Jason Street in the first game of the season. Coach Taylor's career depends on his ability to get the Dillon Panthers to the state championship, despite the loss of Street. If the team suffers a losing streak, he knows his family will no longer be welcome in Dillon.

His wife Tami Taylor begins work as a guidance counselor at the local high school. Over the course of the season, she becomes a support and a mentor to many of the students, and her position plays a pivotal role in the season finale.

Jason Street and Matt Saracen each struggle within extremely difficult conditions. Street must learn to live with his disability in a town that worships athletics. Saracen has to face new challenges as a lead athlete. As Street's friendship with Herc, his rehab roommate and wheelchair rugby teammate, grows stronger, so do his will and independence. For the quiet Matt, who seldom plays football, his new role of QB1 calls for a different part of him. Motherless, he also cares for his grandmother while his father is fighting in Iraq. Matt falls in love with Coach Taylor's daughter, Julie, who loathes Texas small-town life and dislikes football. She falls for Matt and their relationship slowly blossoms over the season.

Also explored is the pressure on the cocky, driven Brian "Smash" Williams. Easily the most promising player on the Panthers' roster, he works hard to achieve excellence and sees his future career as instrumental in gaining a better life for him and his family. Since his father was killed in a car accident, his mother Corrina has taken multiple jobs to keep the family afloat. Smash decides to take performance-enhancing drugs to ensure he can gain a college football scholarship.

Tim Riggins is struggling with alcoholism and absentee parents, with few prospects beyond high school. He is portrayed as a loyal friend with a good heart.

Tyra Collette also comes from a broken home; her mother suffers abusive relationships with men. Tyra begins the season as Riggins’ girlfriend. Thanks to counselor Tami Taylor and Landry Clarke – the school math geek and Saracen's best friend – Tyra starts to see hope that she might get out of Dillon and break the cycle of women in her family.

Meanwhile, Lyla Garrity undergoes significant changes. Faced with Jason's injury, she begins seeing Riggins for some comfort. Jason begins growing closer to another woman. Lyla learns about her father's many adulterous affairs and begins to establish her independence.

Season two

Season two begins with Coach Taylor living and working in Austin as an assistant coach at fictional TMU, while wife Tami remains in Dillon with daughter Julie and newborn baby Gracie. The Panthers' new coach, Bill McGregor, creates friction between Smash and Matt by showing blatant favoritism to Smash and alienates many members of the football community. Buddy engineers the firing of the new coach and persuades Taylor to return.

Julie ends her romantic relationship with Matt and pursues an older man, "the Swede," who works with her as a lifeguard at the local pool. When she finds the Swede has no interest in a serious relationship, she begins a friendship with a young teacher that her mother feels is inappropriate.

Tim is kicked off the team after missing a week of practice to go with Jason Street to Mexico. On returning to Dillon, Tim finds that a neighbor woman, with whom he had a brief affair, is now seeing his brother Billy and has all but moved into their house. Coach Taylor allows Tim to rejoin the team after he apologizes to everyone on the team for his lack of commitment.

Lyla Garrity becomes increasingly involved in an organization for young Christians. As part of a religious outreach program, she and her father Buddy take in a young convict, Santiago Herrera, who is released from juvenile detention.

Smash accepts a scholarship to the prestigious TMU. However, Smash punches a white teenager who sexually harasses his sister when they're at the movies. This turns into a blown-out-of-proportion racial incident, and Smash is deemed someone who has "character issues". His scholarship to TMU is revoked. He later commits to Whitmore University, a smaller historically black college that is more highly regarded for its academics than its athletic programs.

Landry kills and hides the body of a man who attempted to rape Tyra, leading to a romance between the two. Eventually, guilt builds within Landry and he confesses. Charges are not pressed, although tension between him and Tyra remains. Landry also joins the football team.

Jason Street impregnates a woman in what was supposed to be a one-night stand at the end of season two. Jason pleads with the woman to keep the child and promises to take care of the two.

Season three

The season began with Coach Taylor failing to lead the Panthers to another State championship the year before, creating new pressure for him. Quarterback Matt Saracen's position is threatened by the arrival of freshman J.D. McCoy, an amazing natural talent who comes from a rich family with an overbearing father, Joe. Matt moves to wide receiver after Taylor names J.D. starting quarterback. Tyra starts dating a cowboy named Cash, leading to complications in her relationship with Landry. Tim and Lyla start dating. Tami Taylor becomes the principal of Dillon High School and fights with Buddy Garrity about the allocation of funds toward a Jumbotron.

Smash Williams, who injured his knee during the previous year's playoffs, rediscovers his love for the game. Billy, Tim, Herc, and Jason decide to flip Buddy Garrity's house for a profit. Matt and Julie reconcile and rekindle their romance. Smash gets a tryout with Texas A&M, and succeeds in winning a spot on their team. Lyla helps Tim pursue a college football scholarship. Tim initially puts off the recruiter and is concerned Lyla is trying to turn him into someone he's not by encouraging him to pursue college, but he sees she's looking out for his best interests. Buddy loses money, which is Lyla's college fund, in a bad business deal and he retaliates by trashing the strip club, The Landing Strip. Lyla wants to attend Vanderbilt University and after Buddy loses the money, she considers going to San Antonio State University, the school that gives Tim a scholarship. Lyla moves in with Tim after she and her father have a fight. Billy Riggins gets engaged to Tyra's older sister Mindy. Mindy is pregnant at the time of their engagement. Jason Street eventually finds a job at a sports agency in New York City, after visiting a former Panthers player who is now playing professionally, and moves to the northeast to be close to his girlfriend and newborn baby.

Matt is pushed back into his former football role in the playoffs. While Eric Taylor and Buddy Garrity were making a visit to a possible recruit who just moved into town, the coach learns of a plot to have him replaced as head coach of the Dillon Panthers. They learn that Joe McCoy wants Taylor replaced with Wade Aikmen, J.D.'s personal coach. After the school's administration meets to decide who gets the coaching job, Aikmen is offered the job at Dillon High School, while Taylor is offered the job of coaching at recently reopened East Dillon High School. Billy and Mindy's wedding ends the season.

Season four

Season 4 kicks off with Eric Taylor struggling as coach at the underprivileged and underfunded East Dillon High. His new recruits include Vince Howard (Michael B. Jordan), a student who has gotten in trouble with the law too many times, and prodigy running back, Luke Cafferty. Cafferty was forced to transfer from West Dillon High after his address was found to be fraudulent. As principal of West Dillon, Tami receives a good deal of criticism for forcing the transfer.

A new character, Becky, is introduced when Tim Riggins rents a trailer on her mother's property. Becky becomes pregnant by Luke and decides to get an abortion. Parents find out about this and seek Mrs. Taylor's dismissal as principal. When Tami refuses to apologize, she is put on leave and goes to work as a guidance counselor at East Dillon.

Matt Saracen is studying art at the local technical college and interning with a local artist. After returning from a hunting trip with Tim Riggins, he finds out that his father was killed in Iraq. Matt abruptly moves to Chicago without saying goodbye to his girlfriend or his best friend. He returns briefly in the finale and makes amends with both Julie and Landry.

The character of Tim Riggins has developed over time from an unfocused and moody alcoholic into a young man of character and dependability. In this season, his brother again entices Tim into another wrong choice by convincing Tim that the only way they can make any money is by transforming their newly opened garage into a chop shop. Just as they finally end this side business and Tim has enough for the down payment on a large amount of land he's been dreaming about, the police show up to arrest him at the garage. The police officers recognize Tim as "number 33", giving Tim no chance to deny that it's his chop shop. he makes the decision to take the rap and allows his brother to be with his new wife and child. The season ends as Tim walks toward the jail.

Season five

The final season opens with summer wrapping up in Dillon. Billy Riggins joins Coach Taylor as a special teams coach for the East Dillon Lions. Tami is faced with the challenge of a difficult student named Epyck. Landry is departing for Rice University, and Tim Riggins has three more months in jail. Becky experiences turmoil in her living situation and moves in with Billy and Mindy and develops a family of her own with them, while also developing a closer relationship with Luke. Eric Taylor has strong hopes for the team to go to state. Vince's troubles cause his relationship with Jess to take a hit. Buddy Garrity becomes a father again when Buddy Jr. is sent back to Dillon to get help from his father.

Julie's college experience is nothing like she imagined, and she is forced to take a good look at what she wants. Julie looks for support first from her parents, and then from her old boyfriend Matt Saracen, who is living in Chicago and attending art school. In the end, she moves in with him and they get engaged.

Tim is approved for early release. Buddy gives him a job as a bartender at his bar. Tim is angry with his brother Billy and threatens to move to Alaska to work on a pipeline but Tyra Collette comes back for a visit to Dillon and tells him he needs to repair his relationship with Billy.

In the last episode, East Dillon wins the state championship. Coach Taylor moves with his wife to Philadelphia as she accepts the job as Dean of Admissions at a prestigious school. Tim and Tyra talk about their dreams and a potential future at his new home site. Vince is the quarterback of the Dillon Panthers "Superteam", consisting of both East and West Dillon High School athletes, joined by Buddy Jr., Tinker, and possibly Hastings. Jess is living in Dallas, and helping to student coach a team and is following her dreams. Billy is expecting twins with Mindy. Luke Cafferty is seen with Becky at the bus depot departing for the Army. The series ends with Eric coaching a new high school team in Philadelphia.

Several months have passed since the events of the first novel, when Gregor and his baby sister Boots first fell into the subterranean city of Regalia (a part of the "Underland") and undertook a quest to save their father, who was being held prisoner by a group of Underland rats. The Underland humans supported the siblings' mission because they believed it was prophesied by their founder, Bartholomew of Sandwich. At the beginning of the second novel, the Underland humans kidnap Boots to force her and Gregor (whom they call the "Warrior") to participate in another of their prophecies. They interpret "The Prophecy of Bane" to mean that Gregor must kill a white rat (the "Bane") in order to prevent the humans' main enemies, the rats, from taking over. A set of lines about a dying baby "turn[ing] the Warrior weak" convince the humans that Boots is in danger, so Gregor sails off on an underground lake with only a few soldiers and their giant bats to hunt the Bane in the Labyrinth.

During their journey, the questers are caught in a whirlpool, encounter an island of carnivorous insects, which results in Howard's bat, Pandora, being eaten alive, and are betrayed by the two shiners (fireflies) who were hired to provide them with light. Gregor himself begins to struggle with a new "power" that manifests when he is in battle. He is what the Underland creatures call a "rager", a person who is overcome by a kind of "battle-fury" when they fight, making them completely deadly even without training. Gregor and his bond Ares' worst trouble, however, is when they and the remaining questers become separated from the human queen Luxa, the cockroach Temp, and Boots during a fight with some serpents. The three missing are assumed dead, and Gregor finds himself emotionally frozen at the thought of having lost his baby sister.

When he finally finds the Bane, he learns that it is not an adult monster, as was assumed, but instead a baby whose parents have just died. He can not bring himself to kill it, and so he and Ares take it to be raised by the only friendly rat they know: Ripred. After this, the two return to Regalia, where Nerissa has just been crowned queen. The surviving quest members - the bat Andromeda, human Howard, Ares, and Gregor - are tried for treason because they failed to kill the Bane. They are saved, though, by Nerissa, who controversially decrees it is good that Gregor was not heartless enough to kill a baby. Shortly thereafter, Gregor is trying to finally face the reality of going home without Boots when she is suddenly returned to the palace, having been saved in turn by Luxa, Temp, and an unnamed moth. The two then return to the surface world.

Despite the difficulties it has caused for his family, Gregor finds it hard to distance himself from the Underland. When he receives word that a plague has broken out and his bond Ares is one of the victims, he heads down to help with yet another of Bartholomew of Sandwich's prophecies. His mother, however, hates the Underland and only allows Boots and Gregor below on the condition that she comes with them. The humans' plague expert, Dr. Neveeve, explains that there is a plant called starshade growing deep in the Vineyard of Eyes which can be distilled into a cure. In the midst of the meeting, a dying bat infected with the plague inadvertently infects one of the delegates—Gregor's mother.

Gregor immediately joins a group of creatures on a quest to find the starshade, as described in "The Prophecy of Blood". The current queen, Nerissa, has arranged Hamnet - the estranged, pacifistic son of Solovet and Vikus - as their guide. Hamnet, his Halflander son Hazard, and their hisser companion Frill lead the motley crew through the dangerous Jungle and numerous setbacks. During a near-death experience with a pool of quicksand, the group encounters Luxa, the heir apparent of Regalia who was assumed to be dead after the quest in ''Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane''. She and her bond Aurora were trapped in the Jungle when Aurora dislocated her wing, and have been living there with a colony of nibblers (mice). After Hamnet fixes Aurora's wing, the bonds accompany the questers.

They arrive at the Vineyard of Eyes, but an army of cutters (ants, who would like to see all warm-blooded creatures gone) destroys the starshade and kill both Hamnet and Frill. The group's hopes are crushed until they realize a new possibility: that the plague was developed by the humans as a biological agent to be used against the rats. The group hastens home, and find their theory proved correct by the humans' new medication, developed ''without'' the supposed "cradle cure". Luxa furiously exposes the covert military project. Dr. Neveeve is executed for her participation and Solovet, the project's head, is imprisoned in preparation for a trial. Following up on a promise to Ripred, Luxa sends doses of the cure to the gnawers while the Regalian hospital treats as many human and bat victims as possible. Though she is healing, Gregor's mother is too weak to go home, and so the book ends with Gregor moving to Virginia, with loads of farmers and his uncle, who is a monkey Mrs. Cormaci.

The Prophecy of Blood

The "Prophecy of Blood" is unusual in two ways: it is the first of Bartholomew of Sandwich's prophecies to feature a repeating "refrain"; and it is carved backwards in a tight corner of the prophecy room, so that a mirror is required to read it. Nerissa tells Gregor she believes Sandwich purposely made it "difficult to read" in order to emphasize how difficult it is to understand, and Gregor later hypothesizes that Sandwich forced the humans to read it using mirrors so that, as a person read, "[they] would see [themselves]". Ripred similarly points out that an "annoying little dance" Boots makes up to go along with the prophecy's refrain echoes this theme, by forcing the questers to turn and see themselves before they realize that the plague originated with the humans. Boots's "help" deciphering this prophecy leads characters to rely on her to do the same in the series's later books. In ''Gregor and the Marks of Secret'', Boots begins dancing to a song Sandwich carved "in the nursery, not the room of prophecies" after the characters witness the mass execution of a group of nibblers and becomes "totally convinced" that the song is actually yet another prophecy. In ''Gregor and the Code of Claw'', when the "Prophecy of Time" calls for a "princess" to crack a cryptogram, Boots is immediately assigned the role because of her importance to the last two prophecies, despite the fact that she is still a toddler.

The repeating refrain goes as follows:

''Turn and turn and turn again.''
''You see the what but not the when.''
''Remedy and wrong entwine,''
''And so they form a single vine.''

Gregor hypothesizes that Sandwich included a cryptic repeating segment in the prophecy to drum the meaning of these lines into the heads of his readers, or to emphasize their importance. The prophecy's other stanzas describe the plague and who it affects, call for the warrior's return, explain how to find the cure and win allies amongst the nonhuman species, and warn strongly against allowing a war to start in the Underland. Gregor refers to this final point as "Sandwich's usual prediction that if things didn't work out, there would be total destruction and everybody would end up dead." As with other prophecies in ''The Underland Chronicles'', its meaning "only becomes clear in the later stages of the book".

The novel opens with Gregor's little sister Lizzie preparing to go to camp, while Gregor and Boots head down to the Underland. Ripred introduces Gregor to the now-teenaged Pearlpelt so Gregor can observe "the Bane's" violent instability, and choose to kill him before he ends up in a leadership position. Gregor is uncomfortable with the idea. The next day, he returns to dissuade Ripred, but is instead attacked by the Bane's friends.

After several more weeks, Ripred is still missing, but Gregor remains relaxed until a messenger unexpectedly delivers Luxa her crown. Luxa and her friends know that this is a distress call from the nibbler colony in the Jungle. They investigate, but discover only a deceased mouse and an abandoned colony. Luxa is distraught, and decides to visit the nibblers' other colony at the Fount, under the pretense of going on a picnic date. This ruse leads to several others coming along as well. The group finds the colony mysteriously deserted, though they do discover a "mark of secret" which Hazard says warns of death and sorrow. The traveling party tracks the mice into the Swag, but are forced into Hades Hall by an earthquake. During their journey back to Regalia, they learn the Bane has been systematically executing nibblers, which leads Luxa to declare war against all gnawers. Gregor becomes annoyed with Luxa as the consequences of her actions become apparent.

The team eventually locates the missing nibblers, trapped by rats in a natural gas chamber, and is shocked to discover an Underland children's song describes the scene perfectly (and is thus yet another of Bartholomew of Sandwich's dreadful prophecies). A volcano starts to erupt nearby, and all rush to escape. Though one of their number dies in the explosion, the group travels sadly on until they exit the Firelands. Once there, they part ways: Gregor, Ares, and Temp going to escort the young and injured back to Regalia and spread the news of the rats' plans; the rest returning to protect and mobilize any remaining nibblers. Gregor wants to join the latter group, but Ripred convinces him to go learn about the "Prophecy of Time" and finally claim Sandwich's sword. Ripred also helps Gregor realize his new romantic feelings for Luxa, which have kept him moody and confused during their entire journey. The novel ends with Gregor accepting his role as Sandwich's "warrior" by claiming the man's sword.

The Prophecy of Secret

The prophecy in this book is carved into the walls of an old nursery in the Regalian Palace. The Underlanders take it for a popular nursery rhyme of sorts, like Hey Diddle Diddle or Humpty Dumpty. Underland children sing and dance to it at parties, as Gregor discovers in the early chapters of the novel. The song's "true" meaning is unknown until the mass death of a group of nibblers, when Boots's dancing mimics the terrifying scene perfectly. It was dubbed the "Prophecy of Secret" by Aurora.

''Dancing in the firelight,''
''See the queen who conquers night.''
''Gold flows from her, hot and bright.''

'''Meaning:''' During this part of the children's song, dancers select one girl to be "the queen" and dance in the center of their circle. When the quest members assign it a different meaning, they decide this verse talks about a large volcano, and the light it gives off in the dark tunnels.

''Father, mother, sister, brother,''
''Off they go''
''I do not know''
''If we will see another''

'''Meaning:''' This section is repeated at the end of every verse, and refers to the fact that entire families of nibblers are being executed by the gnawers. As the rats hope to exterminate the mice once and for all, it is truly unlikely that anyone will ever "see another"

''Catch the nibblers in a trap.''
''Watch the nibblers spin and snap.''
''Quiet while they take a nap.''

'''Meaning:''' The nibblers are being herded into a pit at the base of the volcano, which is spewing some form of asphyxiant or toxic gas. As the gas (which is denser than air) is blown towards the mice by the currents, it settles into the pit and is breathed in by the nibblers. They start to writhe on the ground in search of clean air, and finally grow still as they are suffocated and die. The mice appear to be napping (according to Boots), which is one of the first clues that leads the quest group to reinterpret this children's song.

''Now the guests are at our door''
''Greet them as we have before.''
''Some will slice and some will pour.''

'''Meaning:''' The final verse was once taken as a description of a tea party, and was accompanied by dance moves miming slicing cake and pouring tea. Once the quest groups "translate" the lines, they are taken to describe the war with the gnawers that Luxa has recently initiated. The Regalians are fully prepared to resume hostilities "as [they] have before". Luxa explains to Gregor that, in times of war, the Regalians attack their enemies with swords and burning oil poured from high places.

Semi-retired Mexican-American chef Martin Naranjo shares a suburban Los Angeles home with his three adult daughters. Although he has lost the senses of smell and taste since his wife's death, he still cooks elaborate, multi-course meals for his family and friends. The women humor their father's old-fashioned ways, but each is searching for fulfillment outside the family circle.

Leticia, the oldest and most conservative of the three, is a repressed high school chemistry teacher who abandoned Catholicism to become a born-again Christian. Middle daughter Carmen (Obradors) shares her father's passion for food but has stifled her dream of owning a restaurant in favor of pursuing a more stable career as a business analyst. Maribel, the youngest, is hip and slightly rebellious.

Frequently present in the Naranjo home are newly divorced family friend Yolanda, her young daughter April, and her visiting mother Hortensia, who has set her sights on Martin and is determined to make him her next husband, unaware his attention is focused on someone else.

Maribel is drawn to handsome Brazilian student, Andy, after her co-worker rejects him and, after they briefly date, she invites him home for dinner, during which she blithely announces she is moving in with him, much to her father's consternation and Andy's shock, since they never had discussed elevating their somewhat casual relationship to this next level. Before long, she is rearranging his small apartment and unintentionally making him increasingly uncomfortable as she imposes herself in his life.

Meanwhile, Leticia finds herself attracted to Orlando Castillo, who coaches baseball at her school, when she begins to receive passionate love letters she believes are from him, unaware they actually were written by her students. Carmen is offered a high-profile job in Barcelona, and half-heartedly agrees to accept it, although soon after her father drives her to the airport she returns home, determined to follow in her father's footsteps and open a restaurant of her own.

Leticia and Orlando elope, Maribel and Andy break up and reunite, Martin marries Yolanda, and everyone gathers for a family meal at Carmen's new restaurant. It is, however, apparent that this family bonds over their love of food.

Three plots in three different historical periods—prehistoric times, Ancient Rome, and modern times (the Roaring Twenties)—are intercut to prove the point that man's love for woman has not significantly changed throughout history. In all three plots, characters played by the small and slight Buster Keaton and handsome bruiser Wallace Beery compete for the attention of the same woman, played by Margaret Leahy. Each plot follows similar "arcs" in the story line in which Keaton's character works for his beloved's attention and eventually wins her over.

In the Stone Age, Keaton competes with the bigger, brutish Beery for a cavewoman, Leahy. After observing another caveman drag away a woman by the hair in order to "claim" her, Keaton tries to become more assertive, but is continuously pushed back and bullied by Beery. An attempt to make Leahy jealous by flirting with another woman ends in failure. Nevertheless, Keaton grows closer to Leahy, and Beery challenges him to a fight at sunrise. Keaton wins thanks to hiding a rock in his club, but is caught and tied to the tail of an elephant to be dragged around the dirt as punishment. Upon his return, he finds Leahy about to be claimed by Beery and attempts to make off with her. Beery catches him and the two battle by tossing boulders at each other from afar, with Keaton and Leahy on a cliff together. When Beery climbs up to reclaim Leahy, Keaton dispatches Beery's cronies and finally defeats him. He drags a smitten Leahy off by the hair. In the epilogue, they go off for a walk with their huge family of children following them.

In the Ancient Rome segment, Keaton attempts to attract the attention of the wealthy Leahy, but is continually pushed back by Beery. Beery challenges him to a chariot race after a hard snow — Keaton wins by using sled dogs instead of horses. In revenge, Beery forces him into the lion pit belonging to Leahy's family. Keaton survives by befriending the lion and manicuring its claws. Keaton is rescued by Leahy's parents while Beery kidnaps Leahy. Keaton rescues her and tries to seduce her in her palanquin, which takes off without them. In the epilogue, they also go out for a walk with many children in tow.

In "modern times", Keaton is a poor man yearning for Leahy, who has rich parents. Leahy's mother, unimpressed with Keaton's bank account but interested in Beery's, decides on Beery as a match for her daughter. Keaton accidentally gets drunk at a restaurant where Beery and Leahy are dining, and Beery tricks the male half of another couple into punching Keaton, who stumbles home drunk. Later, Keaton impresses Leahy by playing a football game, whereas Beery is only a coach; Beery decides to play opposite Keaton. Keaton is overwhelmed by the bigger Beery, but ends up winning the game with an impressive touchdown. An irritated Beery frames Keaton for possession of alcohol and gets him arrested, simultaneously showing him a wedding announcement between him and Leahy — Keaton will be unable to stop the wedding while in jail. While shadowed by a guard, Keaton finds a criminal file showing that Beery has been charged with bigamy and forgery. He attempts to call Leahy to warn her. He accidentally escapes when the phone booth he is using is taken out for replacement. Keaton evades the police chasing him and makes it to the church in time to drag Leahy away from the wedding and into a cab. After showing her Beery's criminal file, he takes Leahy home and prepares to leave, but she kisses him. He declares to the cab driver that they are going back to the church. In the epilogue, they also go out for a walk — this time with their dog instead of children.

In medieval Russia, the aging giant bogatyr Svyatogor gives his sword to some traveling pilgrims to be passed on to a new bogatyr. Svyatogor and his horse become a mountain as he dies. Meanwhile, Asiatic pagans known as the Tugars are ravaging and pillaging the land. They raid the village where the bearded and robust Ilya Muromets lives and capture his future wife Vassilisa. Ilya is unable to defend her because his legs haven't worked since childhood. A man called Mishatychka caught by the Tugars pleads to serve them if they spare him, and promises to be a double agent for them. The pilgrims with Svyatogor's sword come upon the house of Ilya Muromets and cure his ailment with a magical potion and a magical song. They also give him the sword. Later on, he decides to leave his family to go on an epic journey in order to defend Kiev from the Tugars. For this purpose he is given a foal by a neighbour (Mikula Selyaninovich) which magically grows into a steed in three days. He passes by some woods and is confronted by a forest-dwelling monster known as Nightingale the Robber who blows wind so hard it parts the forest backward; Ilya defeats him by throwing a cudgel at him.

Meanwhile, in the capital Kiev, a peasant named Razumey stands trial before Knyaz Vladimir the Fair Sun, for cutting trees without permission. Upon hearing that Razumey's purpose was designing and building weapons to use against the enemy, Vladimir releases him and provides him with wood to continue the work.

Ilya arrives in Kiev and presents the forest monster to Knyaz Vladimir, who is impressed with his deeds. Ilya becomes part of a bogatyr brotherhood with two other bogatyrs Dobrynya Nikitich and Alyosha Popovich. A Tugar envoy arrives in the city, Idolishche Poganoye, a huge zeppelin-like man on a massive moving platform, who warns the Knyaz to give a tribute for twelve years in advance and they will be spared. Ilya replies by insulting the ambassador, and, when he throws a sword at Ilya, throwing it back into the ambassador's stomach, cutting him down while the envoy runs off. Ilya leaves Kiev and finds Vassilisa captured by three Tugars and releases her. After a while Ilya departs from the pregnant Vassilisa to fight the Turgars. Upon leaving he expresses his wish for her to bear a son, to be called Sokolnichek (''Little Falcon''), who will become a heroic warrior.

Unfortunately Vassilisa is abducted again by the Tugars. Mishatychka has become an important adviser to the knyaz and he tricks the knyaz into believing that Ilya is disloyal to him. Ilya is imprisoned in the castle's dungeons where he will eventually spend ten years deprived of food by Mishatychka. Disgusted, Nikitich and Popovich leave the knyaz's court. Mishatychka attempts to send the dungeon key to Kalin, but instead, it falls into Razumey's hands. Vassilisa has born a son, Sokolnichek, while in captivity of Tsar Kalin, the Tugar Khan. Kalin adopts Sokolnichek as his own son and has him trained as a mighty Tugar warrior. The huge Tugar army sets up camp outside the city of Kiev, demanding an enormous ransom (700 carts of gold) to be given to Kalin in order for the city to be spared. Ilya is released, having survived on food provided by a magic table cloth that Vassilisa had woven previously. Mishatychka the traitor is rooted out and ordered to be boiled in pitch, while Vladimir calls out for all the Rus' warriors to assemble for a battle the Tugar hordes. Nikitich and Popovich, hearing of Ilya's release, hurry back into Kiev. Due to the reinforcements being slow to arrive, Ilya hatches a plan to trick Kalin by using torn sacks and broken carts to create the impression that all of the gold being paid as tribute fell out during transport, and then make Kalin think the warriors tried to keep the treasure for themselves. After they warriors give Kalin the treasure (their own jewelry), the king demands to give him Ilya as well. Ilya sends people to Kiev, and they naturally come back empty handed. Kalin then promises to depart if Ilya is delivered. Ilya reveals himself to Kalin who feels insulted by this deception, captures Ilya and decides to attack Kiev anyway; Ilya escapes and goes back to Kiev. With all the aforementioned manipulations, enough time has passed for the Rus' armies to arrive.

Sokolnichek is now a strong Tugar warrior who is sent to fight Ilya. While they duel, Ilya sees the ring on his son's finger and reveals his true heritage to him. Abashed, he joins his father's side and goes to free Vassilisa, together with all the Russians held captive by Kalin. Nikitich and Popovich each lead one army with Ilya leading the center army toward the Tugar hordes and Vladimir with his personal guard stands ready as reserve. The Khan orders a massive pyramid to be made out of human bodies so that he can survey the forthcoming battle. An arrow is shot from inside Kiev by a large ballista designed and operated by Razumey, causing Kalin to tumble down. Angry, Kalin orders to release the three-headed dragon, Zmey Gorynych, to help in the fight. Another arrow from the ballista hits the dragon in the wing, forcing it to fight on the ground. More of the Russian soldiers land from ships from a nearby river and fight the fire-breathing dragon, eventually slaying it. The Tugar hordes are routed and Kalin captured. The victorious Ilya is finally reunited with Vassilisa and offered a place at the court and a title by Vladimir, but declines in order to be with his wife and go on other journeys. He gives the title and his sword to his son, who continues the heroic lineage.

Set during the Korean War, the film depicts the atrocities of battle. Sgt. Garth (Barron), a bloodthirsty egomaniac, neglects to tell his soldiers that there has been a cease fire. The sergeant sends his unit into an enemy bunker, where they are fiercely attacked by the enemy. The few who survive secure the bunker, and Garth attempts to take credit for their actions. Further chaos ensues, resulting in the deaths of many in the platoon, as well as a mortal wound to the sergeant.

Mikan Sakura grew up with her grandfather in the Japanese countryside. When her best friend, Hotaru Imai, transfers to a prestigious school in Tokyo, Mikan follows her. The school is actually an elite Academy for gifted people with "Alices," an ability that is unique depending on the individual being. Once Mikan arrives at the gates of the school, she encounters an Alice teacher named Narumi, gets enrolled due to a series of events, and is told that she possesses a rare Alice. Despite her initial view of the so-called greatness to the school, Mikan slowly discovers that beneath the grand facade of the Academy, there is a never-ending stream of lies and buried secrets. The school's increasingly manipulative and sinister actions towards her make it a dangerous place to be. Little does Mikan know that her enrollment in Alice Academy set the gears in motion to an even greater tragedy. As she discovers the reality of the "Alices", she also unfolds her heritage and how it is connected to the academy. As the mystery of the academy draws her into an endless pit of misery and series of trials to survive, she also discovers how the strength of friendship is important to her and guides her to her destiny.

''The Beast Master'' tells of Hosteen Storm, a Navajo and former soldier who has empathic and telepathic connections with a group of genetically altered animals. The team emigrates from Earth to the distant planet Arzor where it is hired to herd livestock. Storm still harbors wrath at his former enemies, the Xik, and has sworn revenge on a man named Quade for his father's murder. According to ''Kirkus'', he finds "life and hope" instead.

In this novel and its sequels, Norton explores aspects of Native American culture, specifically the Navajo, through metaphors in Storm's life and in the culture he adopts on his adoptive planet.

The program features the exploits of Chuck Martin (Kenneth Tobey) and Pete "P. T." Moore (Craig Hill), owners of a fictitious helicopter chartering company, Whirlybirds, Inc., in the American West. Martin and Moore sell their services to various clients at the fictional airport Longwood Field.

The ''Whirlybirds'' series was, like ''I Love Lucy and later Star Trek, a'' product of Desilu Studios. One particular episode of ''I Love Lucy'', Number 140, became pivotal to the Bell 47's public image as the definitive light helicopter of the 1950s. In No. 140, titled "Bon Voyage" and first aired on CBS on January 16, 1956, Lucy Ricardo misses the sailing of her trans-Atlantic ocean liner and commandeers a friendly pilot of a Bell 47G to fly her to the ship; Jack Albertson guest stars in this episode. Down she goes on the hoist, in a studio sequence carefully staged using a 47G cabin mockup. Desilu Studios, intrigued by the Bell 47 and its manufacturer, began discussions with Bell Aircraft about how the entertainment potential of the Bell 47 might be further developed for a television audience. The result of this collaboration became ''The Whirlybirds''.

Tobey and Hill did not fly the helicopters on the show. That task was handled by professional helicopter pilots Ed Fuderich, Bob Gilbreath, and Harry Hauss of [https://www.nationalhelicopter.com/ National Helicopter Service, Inc.]

After production of the series ended, Kenneth Tobey reprised his role as Chuck Martin in episode #223 of the long-running television series, ''Lassie''. Titled "The Rescue", the ''Lassie'' episode was broadcast on October 2, 1960. Chuck Martin uses a Bell 47G to rescue a trapped Timmy Martin (Jon Provost).

'''Part one'''

The story opens with Nick arriving by train at Seney, Michigan, to find that a fire has devastated the town, leaving "nothing but the rails and the burned-over country." While following a road leading away from the town, he stops on a bridge where he observes trout in the river below. After, he hikes up a hill and rests at a burned stump. While smoking a cigarette, he discovers an ash-blackened grasshopper crawling on his sock, and detaches it. His first spoken words in the story are "Go on, hopper .... Fly away somewhere."

Later in the day he relaxes in a glade of tall pines and falls asleep. When he wakes, he hikes the last mile to the edge of the river where he sees the trout feeding in the evening light "making circles all down the surface of the water as though it were starting to rain." He pitches his tent, unpacks his supplies, cooks his dinner, fills his water bucket, heats a pot of coffee, and kills a mosquito before falling asleep.

'''Part two'''

Early the next morning, Nick fills a jar with 50 dew-heavy grasshoppers found under a log he names a "grasshopper lodging-house",Hemingway (1973 ed.), 169 eats breakfast, drinks sweetened coffee and makes a sliced onion sandwich. After checking and assembling his fly fishing rod and tying on damp leader line, he walks to the river with a net hanging from his belt, a sack over his shoulder and the jar of grasshoppers dangling around his neck. Wading in the water, he fishes the shallows; he lands a trout that "was mottled with clear, water-over-gravel color" that he releases. Moving into a pool of deeper water, he hooks a large trout, "as broad as a salmon", which he loses. After a rest, he moves away from the pool to the more shallow center of the river and catches two trout that he stows in his sack. Sitting on a log, smoking a cigarette and eating his onion sandwich, he thinks about fishing the deep water of the swamp, but decides to wait for another day. At the log in the river, he kills, guts and cleans the two trout before returning to camp.

The introduction, with instructions that the Dungeon Master read it aloud to the players, outlines that there is a treasure in the Yatil Mountains south of the Greyhawk realm of Perrenland. The player characters must investigate rumors of a lost treasure that scores of adventurers have perished attempting to find. The treasure is a remnant of the wealth amassed by the archmage Iggwilv, former ruler of Perrenland, prior to her presumed death at the hands of the demon Graz'zt, whom she had "imprisoned and forced into servitude." The players must first traverse a wilderness area with 20 numbered encounters before arriving at the caverns. The encounters have names such as "Border Patrol" (encounter 1) and "Hill Giants" (encounter 10). After the wilderness are two lettered encounters: the "Gnome Vale", which includes a map for their lair, and "The Craggy Dells", where humans and orcs are capturing hippogriffs to sell.

Next, the player characters reach the caverns. They consist of the "Lesser Caverns" with 22 encounters, and the "Greater Caverns" with 20 encounters, each with its own map. The lesser caverns include encounters such as "Stinking Cave" (encounter 5) which contains four trolls and "Underground Lake" (encounter 14). The greater caverns include encounters such as "Uneven-Floored Cavern" (encounter 5) where the player characters face an umber hulk and "Canyon of Centaurs" (encounter 9). The 20th and final encounter is titled "The Inner Sphere". Here, a "woman sleeps on an alabaster slab." She is "armored from toe to neck in gold chased plate mail." The woman is actually Drelnza, a fighter/vampire and the daughter of Iggwilv. After defeating Drelnza, the players are rewarded with treasure, and the adventure ends.

Dinah, an actress, refuses to be a part of seduction scene in front of a live audience. The director, Gregor, tries to convince her to complete the scene by telling her stories of sexual relations over the centuries. In the end, Dinah decides to complete the filming.

Coppola inserted scenes to the original German plot, adding the bellboy, George, who tries to spend some time with a room full of women.

On the Sunset Strip, two unlikely men rendezvous: Samuel Hill, an unkempt desert miner, and Benjamin Jabowski, a John Birch Society dandy from the city. Intent on some sort of mayhem, they enter the Herald Club before the burlesque show starts, and they wire something to the electrical box, set to blow at midnight. They sit at the back of the club to get to know each other. As they drink and glance at the stage, Sam tells of a partner driven mad by visions of naked women in the sagebrush; Ben tells a tale of trying to rid his neighborhood of a pin-up studio. As they get drunker and the clock ticks toward midnight, they pull their chairs closer to the women on stage.

Natalie Ravenna leaves her husband sleeping at home and sets off on a road trip in a family station wagon. She visits her parents who are quite upset with her.

At a gas station, Natalie makes a collect phone call to her husband and tells him she's pregnant. He is thrilled with the news, but she tells him that she's not ready to come back and needs time away from him.

She gives a ride to a strapping young man, Killer, who had been a college football star but had sustained a serious head injury and was given one thousand dollars to leave the school. On their first night together, in Natalie’s motel room, she orders Killer around and makes him show her his muscular body. She tells him she is pregnant and had given him the ride to have a one-night affair with him, but then she sends him to his own room.

Natalie drives Killer to the home of a one-time girlfriend of his whose father had once promised him a job, but that family wants nothing to do with him and Natalie takes him with her when she drives away. While they travel west she twice comes close to finding him work and a place to stay, only to decide that Killer would be taken advantage of. She also twice leaves him at the side of the road, only to change her mind.

During a subsequent collect call from a payphone days later her husband pleads with her to return home, saying he will do anything to make her happy. Killer angers her by destroying the phone cord, but they continue travelling together.

Natalie is stopped by a motorcycle highway patrolman, Gordon, and receives a speeding ticket. Gordon invites her back to his trailer, and she agrees. He proves to be an unstable widower and father who mistreats his young daughter. After sending her outside so he and Natalie can have sex, he reveals the death of his wife to Natalie. Meanwhile, his daughter and Killer talk and wander the trailer park together. When Natalie tries to leave, Gordon attempts to force her to stay and prepares to rape her. Killer tries to stop Gordon by beating him, which Natalie tries and fails to stop. Gordon's daughter shoots Killer dead, leaving Natalie holding his body, sobbing, as park residents arrive and watch.

In 1938, Dominic Matei (Tim Roth) is a 70-year-old professor of linguistics. He is pining after the love of his youth, Laura (Alexandra Maria Lara). He subsequently travels to Bucharest, the city where he and she met at university. Feeling that his fruitless search for the origin of human language has condemned him to a solitary, wasted life, Dominic is intent on committing suicide after this one last journey. However, he is abruptly yet non-lethally struck by lightning while crossing the street. In hospital, Professor Stanciulescu (Bruno Ganz) informs Dominic that, much to both their surprises, the lightning appears to have regenerated him into a much younger man. Soon after, while residing at the Professor's home, Dominic also discovers that he possesses strange, psychic capacities.

As Romania is invaded by Nazi Germany, Doktor Josef Rudolf (André Hennicke) begins to show an interest in Stanciulescu's miracle patient. Since Dominic's budding powers have blurred his perception of reality, he is bamboozled into mistaking a Nazi spy known only as the Woman in Room Six for an erotic fantasy. They spend their nights together, and she discovers that he has developed a talent for speaking in tongues. Meanwhile, invisible to human eyes, an alternate persona presents itself to Dominic as his "Other" from outside space and time. When Dominic asks for proof, the "Other" obliges by bringing him two roses out of nowhere. Unbeknownst to Dominic, Stanciulescu has witnessed the event and overhears his friend ask himself, "Where do you want me to put the third rose?" Understanding the Nazis' designs, Stanciulescu persuades Dominic to escape from Romania.

Living like a spy, Dominic eventually winds up in Switzerland towards the end of World War II. There he is confronted by Doktor Rudolf at gunpoint in an alleyway. Rudolf argues that Dominic's existence supports the Nazis' ideal of the superman, and that the coming nuclear conflicts can only be survived by a superior species of man. In the background, the "Other" confirms this to be the case. However, in refusing to cooperate, Dominic manifests telekinetic powers which manipulate Rudolf into shooting himself. Subsequently, Dominic returns to a normal existence and resumes his linguistic research. Having realised that the lightning strike has partially lent him the capacities and knowledge of future humanity, he develops a secret language for his audio diary, to be deciphered long after the nuclear apocalypse.

Many years later, Dominic encounters a woman named Veronica (Alexandra Maria Lara) while hiking in the Alps. The "Other" reveals her to be the reincarnation of Laura. When the mountains are hit by a violent thunderstorm, Dominic rushes to her rescue and finds her chanting in Sanskrit, which he greets her with to gain her trust. During her stay in hospital, Veronica now identifies herself as "Rupini", one of the first disciples of the Buddha. Suspecting she may now be afflicted with a condition similar to his own, Dominic calls the Roman College of Oriental Studies for aid. Its representatives inform him that Rupini's last act in life was to retire into a cave for meditation on enlightenment. Since the cave's location is unknown, the scholars, led by Professor Giuseppe Tucci (Marcel Iureș), agree to fund an expedition to find it in India. They hope that Veronica's past self will guide them. The venture proves a success when a local Boddhisatva recognises "Rupini" and directs her to the place of meditation. Following this discovery, Veronica becomes herself again and falls for Dominic.

The couple elope to Malta, where for a time, they live happily together. Dominic eventually tells Veronica in her sleep that he has always loved her. This causes Veronica to writhe in bed as if possessed. She begins chanting in a language which he does not understand. The "Other" explains that she is speaking in the ancient Egyptian language, having travelled further back along the path of her past selves. For the next two weeks, Dominic learns how to control this state in Veronica. He leads her to regress ever further in time and to speak previously unknown tongues. However, Veronica's health begins to decline from exhaustion. Dominic declares that he cannot continue these sessions, or even remain close to Veronica. His proximity to her is accelerating her age. Over the objections of both Veronica and the "Other", he leaves.

Despairing, Dominic returns to the town where he taught as a professor. His alter ego appears to him in a mirror and reveals the future of mankind. Nuclear warfare will unleash an electromagnetic pulse, giving birth to a new, and powerful human species. Dominic is this species' first member. Veronica symbolised the dawn of man, and he stood for the dusk. Outraged at the idea of sacrificing millions of lives in the name of evolution, Dominic shatters the mirror. Without the mirror, the "Other" vanishes. In its final moments, it yells incoherently in an unfamiliar language. In the morning, townsfolk find Dominic's body, lying dead at the bottom of a staircase. As Veronica's voice is heard echoing "Where do you want me to put the third rose?", the rose appears in Dominic's lifeless grasp.

On Christmas Day, penniless and withdrawing from opiates, Danny emerges from a 72-hour stay in a police holding cell. Hoping to make enough money to buy his next hit of heroin, he scours the streets looking for something to steal. After an unsuccessful attempt to break into a parked car, he discovers an unattended suitcase sitting in a doorway. He makes off with the case and takes it to an abandoned park to examine its contents. There he finds that the case contains two severed human legs. Disgusted, he discards the legs and tries to find a buyer for the suitcase. He finds a buyer who gives him three dollars but also informs him that the local heroin dealer has been arrested.

Unable to find heroin anywhere Danny decides to visit a doctor with the hopes of obtaining some morphine. When he reaches the doctor’s house he pretends to be suffering from facial neuralgia. The doctor is suspicious but gives Danny a quarter of a grain of morphine free of charge.

With his morphine tablet secreted away, Danny rents a room for two dollars. As he prepares to inject the morphine, he hears groaning coming from the next room. Distracted, he follows the sound of the groaning across the hall to find a young man suffering from kidney stones. Danny offers to call an ambulance, but soon realizes that the paramedics will not come as they believe the young man is faking illness to obtain opiates. Danny selflessly administers his morphine to the young man. The morphine immediately alleviates the young man’s pain. Danny returns to his room. All of a sudden he begins feeling the effects of heroin; it appears that his good deed has been rewarded with “the immaculate fix”. Danny nods off to sleep.

A hardened Korean and Vietnam War veteran, Sergeant First Class Clell Hazard (James Caan) would rather be an instructor at the U.S. Army Infantry School at Fort Benning to train soldiers for Vietnam but instead is assigned to the 1st Battalion 3d Infantry Regiment (The Old Guard) at Fort Myer, Virginia, which provides the ceremonial honor guard for the funerals of fallen soldiers and guards the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at Arlington National Cemetery. Hazard calls them the "toy soldiers" and hates his job until Jackie Willow (D. B. Sweeney), the son of an old friend and fellow soldier, is assigned to his platoon; Hazard sees in him an opportunity to make sure at least one man comes home from Vietnam alive.

Hazard tries to warn Willow about Vietnam but Willow sees it as his duty as a soldier to fight for his country, no matter what kind of war it is facing. Hazard hates how the war in Vietnam is being fought and feels that good soldiers are being wounded and killed in the "wrong" war in which the U.S. is not fighting to win.

Among the others in Hazard's life are his longtime friend and superior, Sergeant Major "Goody" Nelson (James Earl Jones), and his girlfriend Samantha Davis (Anjelica Huston), a writer for ''The Washington Post'' who is against the Vietnam War for different reasons. Willow marries a colonel's daughter named Rachel Feld (Mary Stuart Masterson), who at first refuses to marry Jackie as long as he is a soldier. Rachel also hates the war in Vietnam and is afraid for her husband.

Hazard is divorced and hasn't seen his son in years due to the bitter divorce. After Willow's father, who is a retired U.S. Army master sergeant and a former Korean War comrade in arms of Hazard's and Nelson's, dies of a heart attack, Hazard comes to look upon Willow as a "son." He tries to teach Willow all he can about soldiering and surviving in combat.

Willow in turn tries to teach his platoon-mate Private Albert Wildman, a chronic screw-up, how to be a soldier. Wildman is later ordered to Vietnam, where he distinguishes himself as a heroic soldier and effective combat infantryman. He returns from Vietnam promoted to the rank of sergeant and is a recipient of the Medal of Honor for heroism in combat. Sergeant Flanagan (Larry Fishburne), a fellow member of Hazard's platoon, receives his orders for Vietnam at the same time.

Willow excels, is promoted to sergeant and is recommended to attend Officer's Candidate School, which he completes and is commissioned as a second lieutenant. He is ordered to serve in a combat unit in Vietnam. Willow writes Hazard from Vietnam about all the good men in his platoon that are being lost in combat. Hazard then finds out that Willow has been killed in action when he sees the burial orders for Willow's remains.

Hazard requests to be sent to Vietnam for his third tour of duty as a platoon sergeant in a combat infantry unit. He places his Combat Infantryman Badge on Willow's flag-draped coffin at the chapel at Arlington National Cemetery. Wildman and Flanagan, at that time both sergeants and just recently returned from Vietnam, are also present at Willow's funeral.

The film ends with military honors being rendered at Willow's graveside at Arlington and Hazard speaking to the mourners prior to the firing of the rifle salute and the playing of "Taps".

Suave convict J. Chalmers "Pressure" Maxwell decides to go straight. Just before he is released from Sing Sing prison along with his none-too-bright accomplice Jug Martin, he rejects a proposal by fellow inmate Leo Dexter to rob a bank.

Maxwell hopes to purchase a dog racing track in Florida and become a legitimate businessman with Denny Costello, his adopted daughter. However, he lacks the funds necessary. When his loan request is rejected by the bank (the same one Leo planned to rob), he decides to rob the place. Noticing a luggage shop next door, he buys the store from Homer Bigelow. He has Jug and their friend Weepy Davis start digging a tunnel in the basement.

Meanwhile, slick salesman Jeff Randolph convinces Weepy to order several dozen pieces of luggage to stock the store. Soon afterward, Jeff falls in love with Denny. When Denny discovers Pressure's scheme, she gets Jeff to create various advertising gimmicks that bring in a flood of customers, forcing a stop to the noisy digging and showing the crooks that legitimate sales can be profitable.

The store flourishes, and the bank next door offers to purchase it from them to expand its space. Pressure is ready to accept the offer, but when Leo learns that Pressure has stolen his idea, he breaks out of jail to take over. Due to the success of the luggage business, Pressure has abandoned the robbery plan, but Leo forces them to go through with it.

Leo plans on breaking into the vault with dynamite on Christmas Eve. Complicating matters, Homer Bigelow reappears, nostalgic for his store. He gets knocked out, but manages to press the burglar alarm. Leo panics and reaches for his gun, but Pressure intervenes, and then he is knocked unconscious. Leo tries to escape, only to be caught by the police. The store erupts in flames, but Pressure revives and manages to drag Homer Bigelow outside, becoming a hero.

Denny accepts Jeff's marriage proposal. Pressure makes plans to build a new store, the first in a chain.

Dr. Anton Drager (Rock Hudson) travels to Java to study the effects of leprosy under an expert on the subject, Dr. Brits Jansen (Burl Ives). The two physicians have many of the same views scientifically, but are philosophically a mismatch because of Drager's atheism and Jansen's Christianity.

After being married to his sweetheart Els (Gena Rowlands), Drager must trek into the jungle to track down Frolick (Philip Abbott), a drunken river master who is lost. Frolick has been driven mad by a shaman called Burubi (Reggie Nalder). Drager eventually comes across Frolick, but ends up killing him in self-defense.

After rescuing another doctor, in the same region, Anton becomes lost in the wild. He nearly dies and has lapsed into a coma by the time he is rescued. Drager's ordeal comes to change his perceptions, turning him into a Christian.

In Heidelberg in post-World War II Allied-occupied Germany, French Army Captain Henri Rochard is given the task of recruiting a highly skilled lens maker named Schindler. He is assigned American Lieutenant Catherine Gates as his driver, much to their mutual discomfort (arising from several prior clashes). The only available transportation is a motorcycle which, due to Army regulations, only Catherine is allowed to drive; Henri has to ride in the sidecar. After several mishaps, the constantly quarreling couple arrive at their destination, Bad Nauheim.

At the hotel, bothered by back pain, Catherine warily accepts Henri's offer of a back rub. When she falls asleep, he tries to leave her room, but the exterior door handle falls off, trapping him inside. He spends an uncomfortable night in a chair. In the morning, she refuses to believe his story. Unknown to him, the innkeeper's wife has replaced the exterior knob, so when he tells Catherine to see for herself how the door will not open, it does. Eventually, the innkeeper's wife comes to the room, forcing Henri to hide on the ledge outside the window. The innkeeper's wife explains everything to Catherine, but not before Henri falls off the ledge.

Later, Henri goes undercover to search for Schindler, now working in the black market. He refuses to let Catherine help him and tells her that if she sees him to pretend she does not know him. The black market is raided by the authorities, and he is rounded up with everyone else. When he asks her to vouch for his identity, she obeys his earlier order not to reveal that she knows him. While he is in jail, she finds Schindler, who is happy to leave Germany and ply his trade in France. Later, she apologizes to a furious Henri, and by the time they return to Heidelberg, they have fallen in love.

Red tape forces Henri and Catherine to be married first in a civil ceremony before they can each have their choice of ceremony: Army chaplain (Catharine) and church (Henri). Before they can consummate their marriage, she is ordered to report immediately to headquarters in the morning; her unit has been alerted they are about to be shipped back to the United States. They subsequently learn that the only way Henri can get a visa is under the War Brides Act as the spouse of an American soldier. After many misunderstandings, he is given permission to accompany her, but circumstances and Army regulations conspire to keep them from spending the night together.

When they try to board the transport ship, Navy sailors do not believe that Henri is a war "bride". He is forced to dress as a female Army nurse to get aboard. The deception works, but once underway, his disguise is discovered and he is arrested. Catherine manages to straighten out the situation, and they finally have some privacy - in the ship's brig.

Following his expedition to the night side of Venus, the Smithsonian Institution appoints Hamilton "Ham" Hammond to head an expedition to Uranus. In Weinbaum's version of the Solar System, all of the gas giants generate significant amounts of infrared radiation, enough to produce Earthlike environments on the inner moons of Jupiter and Saturn and on the surface of Uranus itself.

At the time "The Planet of Doubt" takes place at the turn of the 22nd century, the limited range of the spaceships ensures that Uranus can only be reached from the American base on Titan when Saturn reaches conjunction with Uranus, an event that occurs once every forty years. The Young expedition explored the planet's south pole in 2060; now Hammond takes his ship, the ''Gaea'', to the north pole.

Finding an ocean at the north pole, Hammond sends the ''Gaea'' spiraling southeast until they reach land. They find the surface of Uranus largely barren with a few plants. The surface is shrouded in a thick fog which absorbs radio waves as well as visible light, and there is no planetary magnetic field to work a compass, so the members of the expedition, including Hammond's wife, the Venusian-born biologist Patricia Burlingame, must remain tethered to the ship to avoid getting lost.

While Hammond and Burlingame explore, she starts seeing vague shapes in the fog; Hammond begins to see them too. When they receive a signal from the ship, they hurry back to find it under attack by an immensely long black creature made up of dozens of connected segments. They manage to fight it off and return to the ship. Burlingame decides that the creature is similar to the larval Thaumetopoeidae, which forms processions when it travels from its nest. She hypothesizes that the individual segments link nervous systems so that they all act in unison. As for the shapes in the fog, Burlingame thinks they are analogous to honeyguides, and that they lead the segment-creature to its prey.

On their last foray from the ship, Burlingame sees a new type of flora beyond the reach of her tether. Against Hammond's orders, she frees herself from the tether to approach it. Hammond summons the ship's other two crew members, leaves a note for them at the end of the tether, then frees himself. He wanders lost for hours before accidentally coming across the tether again. He and the rest of the crew continue searching for forty hours before finally finding Burlingame resting within a segment-creature that has formed a closed loop. The other crew members boost Hammond over the segment-creature. He pulls a rope taut between him and them and Burlingame climbs across, then Hammond vaults over the moving segment-creature.

Back on board the ''Gaea'', Burlingame reveals that shortly after leaving her tether, she ran into a segment-creature which began chasing her. She had the idea of running up to the last creature in the line so that the leader would latch onto it, but inadvertently left herself inside the circle instead of outside. She also deduced that the shapes in the fog were the shadows of flying creatures, and that the segment-creatures were their larvae.

The plot of ''The Sacred Art of Stealing'' tells the story of American Zal Innez, a witty and intellectual art-loving thief, who is being blackmailed by crime boss Alessandro Estabol to do one last major job for him.

As a warm up to their main heist, Zal and his team of fellow failed artists rob a Glasgow bank of approaching a million pounds. During the raid they use unorthodox methods such as firing itching powder at armed police, carrying fake guns, staging plays and drawing works of art for their hostages to keep casualties to a minimum.

During this robbery Zal meets and falls for a woman police officer, Angelique de Xavia, heroine of Brookmyre's previous novel, who is under-appreciated by her bosses.

Both police officer and thief become painfully aware of the strong attraction between them and a relationship is formed, despite the fact that they are both fully aware that they are on opposite sides. Zal knows Angelique is after him, and even counts on this knowledge to complete his final job, while Angelique is aware that Zal is playing her, even though she does not want to contemplate what that might imply about his real feelings for her.

Master Sergeant Ernest G. Bilko is in charge of the motor pool at Fort Baxter, a small United States Army base that develops new military technology. Exploiting this position, he directs a number of scams, ranging from gambling to renting out military vehicles. His commanding officer, Colonel John Hall, overlooks Bilko's money-making schemes, as he is more concerned with problems in the "Hover Tank" that the base is designing.

Major Colin Thorn, an officer from the U.S. Army Inspector General's office, arrives at the camp and begins to scrutinize Bilko's record. Officially, Thorn is at Fort Baxter to conduct a general inspection and determine if the base should remain open in light of recent defense cutbacks. He is also determined to get revenge on Bilko to settle an old score the two have from Fort Dix, where Thorn was nearly court-martialed after a fixed boxing match which resulted in Thorn being shipped off to Greenland in the belief that he tried to fix the fight.

Bitter and unprincipled, Thorn is not above breaking the law to ruin Bilko. He attempts to steal Bilko's long-time fiancée Rita, whom Bilko has stood up at the altar more than a dozen times. Rita is tired of waiting and gives Bilko 30 days to win her back or lose her for good.

Bilko, with the help of newly assigned Private First Class Wally Holbrook, devises a means of avoiding Thorn's attempt to transfer him to Greenland: He rigs a demonstration of the base's malfunctioning Hover Tank, staged before a four-star general and numerous dignitaries. Since Thorn had deliberately tried to sabotage the tank the previous night, he confronts Bilko, Hall, and the general, loudly insulting Bilko and Hall. While ranting, he confesses to sabotaging the Hover Tank. Thorn is sent off again to Greenland.

The last day of Rita's ultimatum has come. Just as she sadly begins to write Bilko off forever, Rita hears men outside her house, serenading her with a favorite song of hers and Bilko's. Looking out, she sees Bilko and his platoon. Bilko asks Rita to marry him, and she accepts. The next day is their wedding day, but Rita shows up late, due to a mix-up over Daylight Saving Time. After they play another card game (if Bilko wins, they get married), they finally get married. Unknown to Bilko, Rita is holding four aces in her hand.

During the Battle of Okehazama, Samanosuke of the Akechi clan watches but is attacked by Imagawa Yoshimoto's men. Though Nobunaga Oda was victorious against Yoshimoto, he is fatally wounded and assumed dead. A year later, Samanosuke receives a letter from his cousin Princess Yuki of the Saitō clan for his assistance as she fears monsters are behind the disappearances of her servants. Joined by Kaede, Samanosuke arrives too late to Inabayama Castle as Yuki is abducted as he and Kaede split up to cover ground. After being defeated by a monster while trying to rescue Yuki, Samanosuke is visited by the twelve oni who give Samanosuke the power to vanquish the monsters that abducted Yuki, the Genma, and seal their souls in a mystical gauntlet. While searching for Yuki, Samanosuke finds a laboratory and encounters the Genma scientist Guildenstern, learning that the Genma have resurrected Nobunaga to serve them before slaying Guildenstern's creation Reynaldo. Samanosuke later encounters Nobunaga's servant Tokichiro as he attempted to recruit him before reunited with Kaede as they follow the boy Yumemaru who Yuki took under her care. When Samanosuke finds Yumemaru spirited off, he learns from Tokichiro that Yuki is essential for a human sacrifice where the Genmas' god Fortinbras will bless her blood that Nobunaga will drink to gain the power to destroy the Saitō clan.

After saving Yumemaru from the Genma Marcellus, Samanosuke leaves him with Kaede as he looks for Yuki underground. But as Tokichiro traps Samanosuke, Kaede is knocked out by Genma resembling Samanosuke while Yumemaru is taken by a woman. When she awakens, Kaede is led to the prison and finds Yuki locked in a cell. Guildenstern arrives and leaves Kaede to die at the hand of a powerful Genma, only for her kill it while escaping. Samanosuke awakens and kills his doppelgänger in the underground passage. He makes his way back into the keep and finds Yumemaru with the woman who introduces herself as the Genma Hecuba as she assumes her true form while spiriting Yumemaru into the netherworld with Samanosuke in pursuit. Joined by Kaede as he learns that her kin intends to kill Yumemaru before Yuki to heighten her sorrow to make her blood more potent for Nobunaga, Samanosuke kills Hecuba. As Samanosuke makes his way through the demon door, he encounters Guildenstern who summons an improved Marcellus. After defeating him, Samanosuke makes his way into Fortinbras' throne room, where he finds Yuki and Yumemaru trapped on the upper level. Before he can free them, Fortinbras enters the room and summons Nobunaga before the monster attacks Samanosuke. After Samanosuke defeats Fortinbras, he frees Yumemaru and Yuki as Kaede enters the room.

However, as they flee the collapsing chamber, Samanosuke is grabbed by Fortinbras as Kaede, Yumemaru, and Yuki are forced to escape. Some of Samanosuke's blood falls on the gauntlet and activates it as it transforms him into an ''Onimusha''. In his Onimusha state, Samanosuke kills Fortinbras by stabbing him through his central eye. As Samanosuke transforms back into a human, he encounters Nobunaga as the room continues to collapse. During the ending sequence, Yuki and Yumemaru follow Samanosuke's advice and travel the world. After the end credits, Samanosuke is seen alive, viewing Inabayama Castle from afar before he departs to parts unknown.

Since the death of Fortinbras, Nobunaga Oda has taken command of the Genma as he continues his campaign to unite Japan while wiping out any threat to his power. Among the villages he targeted is the Yagyu village. The clan's only survivor, Jubei Yagyu, who was away at the time of the Genma attack, finds the destroyed village and goes to search for the culprit. He encounters a female oni named who explains Nobunaga's actions. Revealing herself as Jubei's mother, Takajo unleashes Jubei's Oni powers and tells him to search for five orbs that were created to protect humans from demons. Jubei then embarks on a quest to find the orbs in order to defeat Nobunaga.Greg Kasavin. ''Onimusha 2: Samuai's Destiny'' for Playstation 2 Review. gamespot.com. Retrieved on February 10, 2008

Across his journey, Jubei meets several warriors who become his allies, with each of them having their own story arc. These characters are: Ankokuji Ekei, a master spearfighter in the Houzouin style who used to serve a feudal lord a long time ago but left after losing a battle against Nobunaga's forces. He also lost his daughter when his castle was burnt in the battle. He wishes to become a feudal lord and will do anything to achieve his dream. Fūma Kotarō, a ninja who distrusts women after his mother abandoned him, meets Jubei and helps him in his quest to defeat Nobunaga, as well as to uncover the mystery behind Oyu. Magoichi Saiga, the leader of the "Saiga Shu" gun troop in Kii Province, is on a quest to kill Nobunaga because he fears Nobunaga will one day eventually attack the village that raised him. Oyu of Odani, a female warrior who is secretly Nobunaga's sister, Oichi, and wishes to stop her brother. She is the love interest in the game and reveals to Jubei that she has a husband, but she left after finding out that her husband had daughters from a previous marriage.

Jubei also encounters several Genma serving Nobunaga including: the arrogant yet noble swordsman Gogandantess; Ginghamphatts, a giant, semi-arachnid genma; and Jujudormah, a female genma who kills Takajo and is obsessed with Nobunaga. With help from his friends, Jubei defeats his enemies, including the forces that were going to attack Odani Castle. He goes to Nobunaga's base in Gifu Castle after stealing a ship from Nobunaga's servant, Toyotomi Hideyoshi. Having already obtained all Five Orbs, Jubei bids farewell to his comrades, with Kotaro sacrificing his life to save Oyu during the final battle with Ginghamphatts, Ekei getting accepted to serve a feudal lord, Magoichi leaving to his village to prepare for battle, and Oyu returning to her home after Jubei tells her that Nobunaga is still her brother and she cannot kill him, as well as the fact that she still has a husband at home waiting for her. Jubei faces Nobunaga alone. During his final battle with Nobunaga, Jubei unleashes the might of the Five Orbs to enhance his oni powers, and defeats Nobunaga. However, unable to be destroyed since Jubei does not possess the power of the oni gauntlet that Samanosuke has, Nobunaga's disembodied spirit vows to return and Jubei escapes from the collapsing castle into the night. The follow morning, Jubei is shown sitting on a horse at the edge of a mountain overlooking a castle in the distance. It is shown that Oyu resides there with her family.

Marlowe has married Linda Loring, the rich daughter of local tycoon Harlan Potter. Linda and Marlowe first met in ''The Long Goodbye'' and their romance is resumed at the end of ''Playback''. Marlowe resists financial dependence on his willing wife and, after the couple relocate to a grand mansion in Poodle Springs (a mocking reference to Palm Springs), opens a detective agency in the resort. Tension between them rises when, as a result, Marlowe absents himself from the cocktail parties and other social events organised by Linda’s set.

Marlowe’s first case comes when he is forced by hoodlums to visit a local criminal named Lipschultz, who operates an illegal gambling house in Riverside, just outside the jurisdiction of Poodle Springs. He has taken an IOU for $100,000 from one of his customers, a Poodle Springs photographer called Les Valentine. Lipshultz's boss, an unrevealed local tycoon, has found out that the sum is missing from the books and has issued a 30-day ultimatum to retrieve the money. Asked to find Valentine, Marlowe accepts on condition that he does not have to shake Valentine down.

When Marlowe questions Valentine's wife, Muffy Blackstone, a spoiled socialite and acquaintance of his own wife, she tells him that Valentine is out on a photo shoot. Instead he eventually discovers that Valentine is an alias for a sleazy individual living in Los Angeles with a second wife. When Marlowe calls on Lipshultz again, he finds him killed in his casino office and assists Valentine to escape after he is suspected, not just for this crime but for an earlier slaying in his own office. The melodramatic pay-off exposes the corruption of the Southern Californian rich and confirms Marlowe in his decision to return to Los Angeles. His marriage is wrecked, but he and Linda remain as lovers.

Ronald Wilby (Scott Jacoby) is a socially inept, awkward high school youth with budding artistic talent and a predilection for fantasy, who is often ridiculed for his behavior and mannerisms. His overprotective mother, Elaine (Kim Hunter), needs surgery and plans for Ronald to become a doctor and cure her illness. Ronald's father has not been heard from in years, having divorced his mother and agreeing to terminate his parental rights in exchange for not having to pay child support.

One afternoon, while asking out Laurie Matthews (Shelley Spurlock), Ronald is rejected and then ridiculed by her friends. As he returns home, he accidentally knocks over her younger sister Carol (Angela Hoffman). Carol, like Laurie, taunts Ronald. He pushes her over, inadvertently killing her when she strikes her head on a concrete block. He buries the body and confesses to his mother. Fearing the police will not believe that it was accidental, Ronald and his mother wallpaper the door frame to the downstairs bathroom and convert the closed-off space to a living quarters for Ronald, with a concealed trapdoor in the pantry through which Ronald can escape in an emergency. The plan is for him to hide in the room until the incident blows over. Mrs. Wilby tells the police that Ronald ran away.

Ronald's mother pays attention to what neighbors, particularly the nosy Mrs. Schumacher (Linda Watkins), and others are saying about the girl's disappearance and tells Ronald that when it's safe, he can return to a normal life. One afternoon, she is taken into a hospital for gallbladder surgery, from which she unexpectedly dies. In the meantime, Ronald has created a fantasy world in his head consisting of a prince and a princess that live happily until an evil duke appears and a struggle begins.

Shortly after Mrs. Wilby's death, the house is sold to the Wood family, consisting of a mother (Pippa Scott), father (Dabney Coleman) and three teenage daughters: Babs (Cindy Fisher), Althea (Cindy Eilbacher) and Ellen (Lisa Eilbacher). As Ronald needs food and begins to crave human interaction, disappearances of food and odd noises are experienced by the new family.

Babs, the youngest of the Wood daughters, becomes identified with Ronald's princess and he identifies himself as the prince. Duane Matthews (Ted Eccles) (who is well liked by the family), oldest daughter Ellen's boyfriend and brother of the Matthews girls, becomes identified with the evil duke that threatens their happiness. Ronald's goal is to "regain" his princess and remove anything, including the members of her family, that stops his dream from becoming reality. During this time, neighbor Mrs. Schumacher sees Ronald and dies of a heart attack from the shock; fearing the police will blame him, Ronald buries her too.

Mr. and Mrs. Wood make plans to go out of town for a couple of days, leaving the girls on their own. Ronald confronts Babs when she is alone in the house and tells her she is his princess. She flees to Mrs. Schumacher's house next door (unaware of her demise), but Ronald locks her in the basement and forges a note for her sisters to find, claiming she has run away. Both Ellen and Althea are skeptical of the note, but the police refuse to do anything. Ronald later attacks Duane when he is alone in the house. He knocks him out, binds and gags him, and hides him in his hidden living space. The police now suspect something is wrong and advise Ellen and Althea to check into a hotel; they refuse.

Shortly after the police leave, the girls hear noises downstairs as Duane tries to free himself and fights with Ronald. Althea notices one of the many peepholes Ronald has drilled. When she approaches it, she sees Ronald's eye staring back at her and screams in terror as Ronald breaks through the wall. The police, who have been watching the house, hear the screams and rush back. Ronald is captured as he tries to flee, crying out for his mother. Babs is found after escaping from Mrs. Schumacher's basement, and Duane is found in the living space, both shaken but not seriously harmed.

At the behest of the Kazakh Ministry of Information, reporter Borat Sagdiyev leaves Kazakhstan for the "US and A", the "Greatest Country in the World", to make a documentary about American society and culture. He leaves behind his wife, Oksana; his companions are his producer, Azamat Bagatov, and a pet hen.

In New York City, Borat sees an episode of ''Baywatch'' on TV and immediately falls in love with Pamela Anderson's character, C. J. Parker. While interviewing and mocking a panel of feminists, he learns of the actress' name and her residence in California. Borat is then informed by telegram that Oksana has been killed by a bear. Delighted, he resolves to travel to California and make Anderson his new wife. Azamat insists that they drive because of his fear of flying which stems from the September 11 attacks, which he believes was "the work of the Jews". Borat takes driving lessons and buys a dilapidated ice-cream truck for the journey.

During the trip, Borat acquires a ''Baywatch'' booklet and continues gathering footage for his documentary. He meets gay pride parade participants, politicians Alan Keyes and Bob Barr, and African-American youths. Borat is also interviewed on a local television station and proceeds to disrupt the weather report. Visiting a rodeo, Borat excites the crowd with jingoistic remarks, but then sings a fictional Kazakhstani national anthem to the tune of "The Star-Spangled Banner", receiving a strong negative reaction.

In Atlanta, Borat finds a hotel but is kicked out when he offends the front desk worker. Staying at a bed-and-breakfast, Borat and Azamat are stunned to learn their hosts are Jewish. The two escape after throwing money at two woodlice, believing they are their hosts transformed. Borat attempts to buy a handgun to defend himself, but is turned away because he is not an American citizen, so he buys a bear instead.

An etiquette coach suggests Borat attend a private dinner at an eating club in the South. During the dinner, he offends the other guests when he lets Luenell, an African-American prostitute, into the house and as a result, they are both kicked out. Borat befriends Luenell, who invites him into a relationship with her, but he tells her that he is in love with someone else. Borat then visits an antique shop, in which he clumsily breaks various Confederate heritage items.

At a hotel, Borat sees Azamat masturbating over a picture of Pamela Anderson. An angry Borat accidentally reveals his real motive for traveling to California. Azamat becomes livid at Borat's deception, and the situation escalates into a nude brawl which spills out into the hallway, a crowded elevator, and then into a packed convention ballroom.

Azamat abandons Borat, taking his passport, all of their money, and the bear. Borat's truck runs out of fuel, and he begins to hitchhike to California. He is soon picked up by drunken fraternity brothers from the University of South Carolina. On learning the reason for his trip, they show him the ''Pam and Tommy'' sex tape which reveals that she is not a virgin. Despondent, Borat burns the ''Baywatch'' booklet and, by mistake, his return ticket to Kazakhstan.

Borat attends a United Pentecostal camp meeting, at which Republican U.S. Representative Chip Pickering and Mississippi Supreme Court Chief Justice James W. Smith, Jr. are present. He undergoes a religious conversion and forgives Azamat and Pamela. He accompanies church members on a bus to Los Angeles and soon finds Azamat dressed as Oliver Hardy. The two reconcile and Azamat tells Borat where to find Pamela Anderson. Borat finally comes face-to-face with Anderson at a book signing at a Virgin Megastore. After showing Anderson his "traditional marriage sack", Borat pursues her throughout the store in an attempt to abduct her, until security guards intervene.

Borat visits Luenell and they return to Kazakhstan together. They bring several American customs and traditions back to his village, including the apparent conversion of the people to Christianity (the Kazakh version of which includes crucifixion and torturing of Jews) and the introduction of computer-based technology, such as iPods, laptop computers and a high-definition television.

Yukito Kunisaki (Hikaru Midorikawa), a traveling puppeteer with a goal to find the "girl in the sky" that been passed down his family for generations, arrives in a sea-side town of Kami in the hopes of earning money at the upcoming summer festival. At the same time, Misuzu Kamio (Tomoko Kawakami) is just leaving school after discussing her summer project. Choosing to do a project on the history of the town, Misuzu finds a book containing the story of ''Kannabi no Mikoto'' (Chinami Nishimura) in her town, the inspiration for the festival next week. After crashing her bike she encounters Yukito on the beach, Misuzu invites Yukito to stay at her home until the festival begins after learning that he has no place to stay. Meeting Misuzu's eccentric aunt Haruko Kamio (Aya Hisakawa), and getting a hangover the next morning from drinking with her, Yukito accompanies Misuzu throughout the town as she does research for her project.

As the two become closer, the story of ''Kannabi no Mikoto'', or Kanna for short begins to unfold, telling how Kanna, the last of the winged beings, fell in love with her guardian Ryūya (Nobutoshi Canna) while being sequestered in a palace under penalty of death if she attempted to leave. The two eventually become lovers, Kanna reveals her desire to see the ocean and use her wings to fly to her mother, whom she was separated from at birth. Apparently, Ryūya decides to help Kanna see her dream of the ocean and the two plot their escape.

In the present day, Misuzu's mysterious illness from her childhood resurfaces, leading Haruko to arrange for Keisuke Tachibana, Misuzu's father, to take her to a hospital where she can be treated. In a flashback, Kanna is seen with similar symptoms and tells Ryūya that the reason for her illness is punishment because she has fallen in love with him, which goes against the laws of her kind. Yukito becomes conflicted by both his feelings for Misuzu and his wish to continue wandering and leaves during the night. However, soon after he arrives at the bus stop, the crow Sora, reminds him of his real reason for coming to the town: to earn money; Yukito heads back into town for the festival. Meanwhile, Haruko is preparing to take Misuzu to the festival when Keisuke arrives to take his daughter away. An emotional Haruko tells a shocked Misuzu that the reason she called her father is because Haruko cannot stand to see Misuzu becoming increasingly ill, but as Misuzu and Keisuke leave Haruko is seen crying at the loss. While driving through the crowds at the festival, Misuzu suddenly leaves Keisuke's car after seeing a float of ''Kannabi no Mikoto'' pass and prompts a panicked search by Keisuke and Haruko.

During her search, Haruko finds Yukito performing, and while he is at first unwilling, after recalling how he failed Misuzu in his past life as Ryūya, he joins in the search and frantically runs to the temple of ''Kannabi no Mikoto''. Misuzu herself recalls her past life as Kanna and her fateful escape from her confinement, remembering that both Ryūya and her mother died soon after she took flight; the former by a barrage of arrows in retaliation from the guards and the latter by leaving her prison to see her daughter after hearing her voice calling. Kanna herself was impaled by hundreds of arrows, but strangely never hit the ground and simply remained in the air. As the film concludes, Yukito arrives at the temple and confesses his love for Misuzu, and after reuniting with Haruko, the trio returns to the Kamio residence.

A short time later, Haruko and Yukito decide to send Misuzu to a hospital to treat her, cutting her hair before she leaves and taking her to the ocean as per her request. At the ocean, a weakened Misuzu gets up and tries to reach Haruko and Yukito, the two most important people in her life. She finally reaches them only to collapse in Yukito's arms and die having finally reached her goal. Yukito is last seen leaving town in the autumn and promising to find Misuzu wherever she appears next in the hope that he will someday be able to break her curse and let her be free.

The novel is framed around a series of interviews conducted by a fictionalized version of the author Max Brooks, author of The Zombie Survival Guide, (known in-universe as the "Civilian Survival Guide") as he travels the world a decade after the end of what is most commonly referred to as the "Zombie War."

The pandemic begins twenty years previously in 2003, with the infection of a boy in a village in Dachang, China; the release of the virus, referred to as "Solanum" in The Zombie Survival Guide, is implied to have been caused by the construction of the Three Gorges Dam. The Politburo initially covers up the outbreak by engineering a military crisis with Taiwan to avoid appearing weak internationally, but thousands of infected quickly spread the virus outside of China through immigration, human trafficking, and the organ trade. The virus spreads to Cape Town, South Africa, where the first major public outbreak occurs, leading to the virus initially being publicly dubbed "African rabies." A Mossad agent publishes a report detailing the undead threat and recommending countermeasures, but Israel is the only country to take it seriously. The United States in particular is overconfident and distracted by the upcoming election, responding only by deploying small special operations teams to temporarily contain isolated outbreaks. Israel, meanwhile, responds by enacting a policy of voluntary quarantine in which it ceases occupying the Palestinian territories, evacuates Jerusalem, and constructs a wall along the demarcation line established in 1967. The government also offers asylum to any Palestinian living in the formerly occupied territories, and any Palestinian whose family previously resided in Israel. These policies spark a civil war by enraging the Israeli religious right, though the uprising is eventually suppressed by the IDF. Worldwide, a widely marketed placebo vaccine named Phalanx creates a false sense of security. This period later becomes known as the "Great Denial."

The following spring, an unnamed journalist reveals the uselessness of Phalanx and the truth of Solanum, sparking a crisis later dubbed the "Great Panic" in which global order collapses, with rioting, breakdown of essential services, and indiscriminate culling of citizens killing more people than the zombies themselves. Russia forces a decimation of its military to end rampant mutinies. Ukraine uses VX gas on refugees and its own citizens in an attempt to weed out the infected. Iran and Pakistan destroy each other in a brief nuclear exchange over a refugee crisis. When the US military stages a high-profile battle in Yonkers, New York, their conventional warfare tactics prove insufficient against the overwhelming horde of zombies, and the military is routed on live television. The catastrophe causes President George W. Bush to suffer a nervous breakdown, resulting in Vice President Colin Powell and his cabinet invoking Section 4 of the 25th Amendment and forcibly removing him from office, with Powell succeeding him to become the 44th President of the United States and nominating Howard Dean as Vice President. The US government evacuates west of the Rocky Mountains and establishes a new capital in Honolulu, Hawaii. The ISS remains crewed by three astronauts who volunteer to not return to Earth; its commander observes miles-wide "mega swarms" of zombies stretching across Central Asia and the Great Plains. The fallout from the Iran–Pakistan War, as well as the millions of global fires sparked by the crisis, creates a nuclear winter. Knowing that zombies freeze solid in extreme cold, many ill-prepared North American civilians flee into the wilderness of northern Canada, where an estimated eleven million people die of disease, hypothermia, starvation, and cannibalism. Paul Redeker, a former intelligence consultant for the apartheid-era South African government, develops a drastic survival strategy that designates large groups of humans as unwitting bait, distracting the undead while safe zones regroup and build up resources; most countries go on to adopt the controversial plan.

Four years later, during a United Nations conference held off the coast of Honolulu aboard the recommissioned USS ''Saratoga'', the United States declares its intention to go on the offensive against the undead, inspiring other countries to follow suit. New tactics are invented to more effectively combat zombies as, without a vaccine, every last one must be destroyed to end the pandemic. The contiguous United States is liberated three years later, and global victory is declared after another two years upon the liberation of China. Casualties are high in many countries, with Russia, its armories badly depleted, forced to heavily employ the use of outdated Great Patriotic War-era equipment; and France, desiring to restore its national pride and reputation after its humiliating defeats in the Battles of France and Dien Bien Phu, prosecuting its campaign of the war more aggressively than that of the United States and United Kingdom. President Powell dies, most likely from heart failure caused by extreme stress, toward the end of the war. An unnamed British Army general comments that there are "enough dead heroes for the end of time."

Ten years later, the world is still heavily damaged, but slowly on the road to recovery. Millions of zombies remain active, mainly on the ocean floor, mountains above the snow line, and in arctic areas; the United Nations fields a large force to eliminate them. Iceland remains completely zombified, as its cold weather and lack of military made it the most vulnerable country to the undead. Following a religious revolution, Russia has become an expansionist theonomy intent on annexing the former Soviet republics, and has adopted a repopulation program under which the nation's few remaining fertile women are used as state broodmares. North Korea remains quarantined as its entire population mysteriously vanished at the beginning of the pandemic. Cuba has become a capitalist democracy possessing the world's largest GDP. Tibet has become independent from China and hosts Lhasa as the world's most populous city, and China has democratized following a second civil war sparked by the collapse of the Three Gorges Dam. The overall quality of human life has diminished, including shorter life expectancies, limited access to running water and electricity, and the resurgence of diseases like the Spanish flu. Many species, especially whales, have gone extinct. Nevertheless, the majority of those who have survived have hope for the future, knowing that humanity faced the brink of extinction, and won.

''The Lionhearts'' focuses on the behind the scenes life of MGM's mascot, Leo Lionheart, and his family. The series shows The Lionhearts living in a normal house and living a normal life just like non-celebrity families. Most of the members of the family are named after famous MGM movie stars. The characters first appeared on a series of Sing-Along children's videos released by MGM in 1997. The original character designs (especially those of Spencer and Kate) were greatly modified for the TV series. Ashley Tisdale provided the voice of Kate in the Sing-Along videos, while Charles Rocket was the voice of Leo, Lana was voiced by Debra Jo Rupp and Chris Marquette did the voice of Spencer [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1197523/].

One of the characters of ''The Celestine Prophecy'' disappears while exploring a forest in the Appalachian Mountains. The book discusses ideas about other dimensions, past lives, conception and birth, the passage through death to an afterlife, hell and heaven. It also illustrates the author's vision of human destiny and the notion that fear of the future is endangering Earth's spiritual renaissance.

In the story, each individual soul is part of a larger "Soul Group", which shares the mission of helping the evolution of the cosmos. At times, a soul from a given Group incarnates itself, choosing the conditions of its life according to its needs, while the other souls observe. Each soul creates a reality around itself, which later brings consequences upon it. These consequences take the form of life and afterlife, which vary according to the person's choices.

On Earth, people speak of the prophecy written in the Book of Revelation as if it were coming true. Many fear that it will come partly true, in that a dictator (an Antichrist) will arise, but will not be thrown down. To counteract this idea, which is damaging to the spiritual renaissance, the protagonists hold their own, Utopian "World Vision" to the exclusion of its opposite, until it dominates the opposite at the book's climax.

All of these ideas are experienced as if real by the characters.

An engaged couple, Tish and David (Heuring and Schaech), take a short vacation to Budapest. David is counsel to Tish's father, an ambassador who does not approve of their relationship, although this does not affect the couple's relationship. While in Budapest, the two indulge in many sexual activities, eventually engaging in a threesome with a local model named Risa, in a hotel in Alhambra, Spain. The sexual tryst becomes a personal issue when they receive a letter containing pictures of the ''ménage à trois''. Realizing this escapade could ruin their careers, as well as the career of Tish's father, they venture deep into Budapest to find Risa. On their journey, they encounter their blackmailer, the housekeeper of the hotel, who told them about Risa.

He demands a sum of $200,000 for the pictures he took, and takes Tish hostage before running off, though he eventually lets her go. The blackmailer encounters David and the men begin firing at each other, but the blackmailer escapes. Going into his apartment, they find the man shot dead. A police officer, detective Kovač, later contacts them and seems to suspect them of murdering the man. Later on they find Risa dead in her apartment and presume the entire ordeal is over. Just as they begin to celebrate, another mysterious man calls them and demands $1 million in exchange for the pictures, which they agree to pay through Tish's contacts and with the help of Kovač. They arrange to meet at an old warehouse, but they do not see the man when they get there.

David tells Tish to stay in the car while he goes looking for the man inside, handing her a gun. After he disappears into the warehouse, Kovač (who had been following them) appears at Tish's side of the car and knocks on the window. Tish informs him that the man said there should be no police, but Kovač tells her that if she wants to see David leave the building alive, she must let him go. After a while Tish hears gunfire and runs into the building, shooting at an SUV which is exiting the warehouse. She then finds Kovač dead inside. Later the mysterious man calls her again and says he has David, and demands a sum of $5 million for his safe return, otherwise he will kill him. She pays the ransom money.

The man informs her that David is tied up and dying in the basement of a store in Budapest. When Tish arrives, she discovers David tied up in the basement, having limited oxygen being fed to him via a mask. She frees him. They thereafter continue their lives together, without any further interference from the man. On Christmas, Tish and her siblings go shopping in the city, and plan on going for a drink with David. However, David calls Tish and informs her he will be working late. Tish decides she will continue shopping and meet David at home. When she boards a subway train in the evening, she notices in the train-car on the rails next to hers: the porn-store owner, a Russian pimp she had tried to work for, Risa, Kovač, and the hotel's housekeeper. They are smiling as David enters the train-car to join them, and it is made clear to Tish that they plotted everything to get their hands on the $6 million she had given them throughout the events. As the train pulls away, David notices that Tish has seen him and the whole gang.

Mark London is now president of the settlement. He has forced the people to abandon all technology and become a simple, agricultural community full of taboos. Upper Isis is now a forbidden zone, because, so they believe, the Guardian put a curse on the mountains, imprisoning the people in their own valley. One boy, Jody N'Kumo, grandson of one of the original settlers, breaks one of the most sacred taboos, and is banished to the land of Guardian, although everyone knows he is simply being sent to his death. However, Jody does not die, and discovers a place called Bamboo Valley. There he meets the Lady Olwen, who was the Keeper of the Isis Light in the times before the colony, and learns the truth about the history of Isis.

A beautiful, troubled teenage girl, Debbie Strand, is being brought up by her previously estranged grandmother in Los Angeles after her mother and her mother's boyfriend die in a suspicious house fire. Her grandmother is an extremely strict, fundamentalist Christian who believes that her granddaughter is exactly like her mother. She forces Debbie to wear the grandmother's old clothes instead of buying her new ones, and abuses her by beating her with the grandmother's walking cane. When she tells Debbie she's putting her in a reform school, Debbie yanks her cane out of her hands and kills her with it.

Debbie becomes enthralled with Peter Rinaldi, an English teacher at her new school. However, Peter has a fiancée and strong scruples, so rejects Debbie's repeated advances. Peter finds that his life is ruined and bodies are piling up. During the hectic climax, Debbie breaks into his fiancée, Marilyn's, home with the intention of killing her. Peter realizes Debbie has gone there and follows her. While he is on his way, Debbie confronts Marilyn, who attempts to flee through the kitchen, but is brought down by Debbie, who knocks her unconscious. As Debbie attempts to murder her, Peter rushes in and stops her.

Alice lives in England, when suddenly a white rabbit appears, Alice follows the rabbit and ends up getting swept away in a rabbit hole to a place called Wonderland. Alice finds a door and realizes it’s too small for her, She finds a bottle that says “Drink Me”. She drinks and changes to small size. The youngster Alice won’t be able without the key. Alice finds a cookie that reads “Eat Me”. As she eats it, she changes super big, and starts singing about how big she is and starts crying, she floods the room and changes into small size back. Alice finds curious little animals and people like the Cheshire Cat and the White Rabbit and more. Alice ends up at the rabbit’s house, She drinks a bottle for her size. Alice ends up being really big for the White Rabbit, Alice changes to normal amount, With the characters all mad, she joins a tea party, with characters named the Mad Hatter, Alice gets fed up with the people and returns home.

The leader of the colony is Roger London, Mark London's son. London seems to be nothing like his father, however. Mike Flynn, a Galactic wanderer, spots Isis, and plans to corrupt the inhabitants to obtain the precious firestones. He promises them a Forever Machine, which will supply them with a lifetime of ambrosia, which means they will never have to work for their food again. His daughter, Moira, however, knows that he is simply lying, and tries to stop Mike's evil plans with the help of David N'Kumo, great grandson of Jody N'Kumo. When David and Moira succeed, Jody N'Kumo becomes president, instead of Roger London. Moira decides to stay on Isis, and Guardian, goes with Mike Flynn. Things look much brighter for a future for Isis.

Debbie Strong, a beautiful psychopath, escapes from the mental institution she was sent off to in the first installment of the series. After a teenage girl who took Debbie in her car dies when retreating from Debbie and accidentally impaling herself, Debbie steals both the girl's identity and her car, and heads off to the college the dead girl was supposed to attend as a freshman.

There, Debbie instantly develops a psychotic crush on her dashing writing professor, Dr. Sam Deckner after being impressed by their shared interests as well as his personality on their first interaction. Debbie assumed the role of a wealthy man's daughter while going by the deceased girl's name "Tracy Carlay" as her new identity. She is checked into same room with Laney, a naive girl who she soon influences. Further interactions with Sam renders Debbie further psychotic and in order to strengthen their love she soon begins killing anyone who she believes served as a threat to their perceived relationship.

Laney, her computer-literate roommate discovers the truth about Debbie's past, and instantly panics then falls to her death after being agitated by Debbie's presence. Debbie described this as a suicide to the cops and soon begins to stalk Sam, unable to move on from their earlier intimate encounter. She repeatedly threatens Carla, Sam's girlfriend, especially after Carla revealed to Sam she was pregnant by him. Debbie, out of jealousy, throws a stone at the glass window while the couple were getting intimate and prompted a police inquiry.

Debbie becomes more unhinged and at night, goes over to Carla's house, finds a knife and lurked around, intent on murdering Carla but is hindered by the presence of two cops both of whom she wounded before inadvertently stabbing herself in a scuffle with Sam.

The film ends with a stabbed Debbie being picked off the road by the father of the real Tracy Carlay, the teenage girl who had picked up Debbie in the film's opening. Tracy's father comments on Debbie's striking resemblance with his daughter and made mention of his daughter's troubles at school.

Tony Manetta moved from the shabby area of the Bronx, New York to Miami, Florida with two friends, searching for wealth and success. One friend became prosperous over the next 20 years (owning luxury hotels) and is a promoter, while his younger friend drives a local taxi. Tony manages a small hotel called Garden of Eden. He grew up poor but spoiled, spending money on expensive suits and a Cadillac, despite always being in debt and refusing to become more responsible. He is also a widowed father of an 11-year-old son named Alvin (nicknamed Ally).

In debt, the rent five months in arrears, Tony is given 48 hours by his landlord, Abe Diamond, to raise $5,300 or else lose the hotel. In desperation, Tony calls his older brother Mario, who owns and operates a clothing store and has already loaned Tony money multiple times. Tony lies and says he needs a loan because Ally is ill. Mario and wife Sophie promptly fly from New York City to Miami and discover the truth.

In Mario's eyes, Tony is a bum who wastes money on fanciful dreams rather than honest, hard work. He agrees to stake Tony the funds but only for a sensible small business, not dreams of fancy hotels or casinos. Mario also sets him up with Eloise Rogers, a widow and an acquaintance of Sophie, who is considered a more appropriate companion for Tony than his current girlfriend, Shirl.

To his surprise, Tony is impressed with Eloise. Ally also takes an immediate liking to her. Mario offends her, however, with prying questions about her late husband's will and finances, causing Tony to confess why they were introduced. Eloise reveals to Tony that, having lost both her husband and son, she appreciates the notion of being with someone who needs her.

The old childhood pal, Jerry Marks, now a wealthy promoter, invites Tony to a party. Pretending to be prosperous, Tony explains his scheme to buy land in Florida and open a second Disneyland there. Jerry seems interested in being his partner again.

He takes Tony to a greyhound racing track, where Tony uses the $500 he earned from selling his Cadillac to match Jerry's large bet. His dog wins, but he lets it ride in the next race on a dog called Lucky Ally. The obvious desperation in Tony's voice as he roots for the dog to win indicates to Jerry that he is not a man of means. Jerry chastises him afterwards and tries to brush him off by insultingly handing him some cash. When Tony throws the cash handout back in Jerry's face, Tony is punched by one of Jerry's bodyguards.

Literally a beaten man, Tony decides it would be best if Ally lived in New York with Mario and Sophie, telling the unconvinced boy that he is unwanted. Tony goes off to the beach by himself, but Ally finds him, and soon Eloise happily joins them. Mario and Sophie decide to take a long overdue vacation.

Four years after an alternate ending to the series, in which Blade seals the Joker, the characters have moved on with their lives: Kenzaki is a garbage man which in comparison to the chaos he went through was a huge change of pace, Mutsuki has graduated high school, and Kotarō has published a book about the Kamen Riders to great success, but on Amane's upcoming birthday, it was revealed that she has become a delinquent without the emotional support of Hajime. The Undead have been re-released, and a new trio of Kamen Riders—Glaive, Larc and Lance—have emerged from BOARD, now led by Tachibana. After recapturing two of the Category Aces, Kenzaki and Mutsuki join with the new Riders. When all the Undead are sealed once more, Glaive reveals himself to be the Albino Joker, a white version of the original Joker, and captures Kotarō's niece to obtain the ultimate power, sealing her in the Vanity Card. In order to free Amane from the card, Hajime is unsealed from the Joker Card and the four Riders are again united, intent on saving Amane and stopping the Albino Joker. In the end, Hajime swaps his life for Amane in the Vanity Card and allows himself to be destroyed by Blade to weaken Jashin 14. Blade uses his King Form to cut Jashin 14 in half, putting an end to the Undead.

In an alternate timeline, Smart Brain has accomplished its goal of world domination — with 90% of Earth's population being Orphnochs while the human race had diminished to near-extinction. Takumi Inui, the user of the Faiz Gear, was regarded as mankind's savior until he was presumed killed during an attack by Smart Brain's Riotroopers. Since then, his friend Mari Sonoda has formed a human resistance group that have staged attacks on Smart Brain's headquarters in an attempt to steal the top-secret "Emperor Belts", but to no avail. The Orphnochs Yuji Kiba, Naoya Kaido and Yuka Osada wish to see both Orphnochs and humans co-exist in peace, but they are not taken kindly by the humans while Smart Brain chief Kyoji Murakami (who is now reduced to a head in a water tank) reminds them that humans no longer have a place on Earth. Murakami then discloses the existence of the Emperor Belts by introducing the Orphnoch Leo, who changes into the powerful Kamen Rider Psyga.

Meanwhile, in a human refugee camp known as "Paradise", Takumi has been living a different life as a cobbler named Takeshi and shares a home with a girl named Mina. When Yuji, Naoya and Yuka approach the human resistance and notify them of Psyga's power, Paradise is suddenly invaded by Riotroopers. During the attack, Masato Kusaka battles Psyga as Kamen Rider Kaixa, but is quickly defeated and killed. Psyga attempts to take the Kaixa Belt, but he is warded off by the three Orphnochs allied with the humans. That night, Takeshi and Mari meet at a masquerade ball, but when Riotroopers ambush the party, Takeshi regains his memories as Takumi and once again becomes Kamen Rider Faiz - who is reunited with Auto Vajin while dispatching the attackers. Takumi, however, is not pleased that Mari had spread rumors of him being mankind's savior while he was away. Furthermore, members of the human resistance suspect he is an Orphnoch himself due to his ability to become Faiz. Mina reveals to Takumi that years ago, her father found him badly wounded from the previous Riotrooper attack and implanted false memories in him. Shortly after giving Takumi back his Faiz Blaster, Mina is fatally shot by resistance member Mizuhara - who steals the Faiz Belt. Yuji kills Mizuhara in self-defense and recovers the Faiz belt before handing it back to Takumi, but the resistance exile Yuji, Naoya and Yuka from the group until they prove themselves they can steal the Emperor Belts.

The next day, the three Orphnochs enter Smart Brain headquarters to fulfill their mission — only for Murakami to unleash the gargantuan Elasmotherium Orphenoch on them. Yuka is gored to death and Naoya is eaten alive by the large beast while Smart Lady tricks Yuji into thinking that Mari sold them out. Meanwhile, Smart Brain stages another attack on Paradise. Using a special serum devised by Professor Nomura, Keitaro Kikuchi manages to change into Kaixa and save Mari from an Orphnoch, but the Kaixa belt quickly dissolves into dust as a side-effect. In the ensuing chaos, Psyga kidnaps Mari; this causes dissension among the ranks of the resistance while Takumi races to Tokyo to rescue Mari. At Smart Brain Super Arena, Mari is to be fed to the Elasmotherium Orphnoch in front of millions watching the live execution, but Takumi interrupts the event, changing into Faiz and battling the behemoth. Auto Vajin is destroyed during the fight and Faiz is further outnumbered when Psyga interferes. As the Elasmotherium Orphnoch is caged to prevent it from destroying the stadium, Faiz slices Psyga in half with the Faiz Edge. Yuji suddenly appears in the arena, wearing the second Emperor Belt and changing into Kamen Rider Orga. Orga forces Takumi out of his Kamen Rider form but witnesses him transform into the Wolf Orphnoch, to everyone's surprise. Yuji is forced to change into Horse Orphnoch to battle Takumi before both combatants change back into their Kamen Rider modes while Mari is captured again to be fed to the Elasmotherium Orphnoch. Faiz changes into Blaster Form to defeat Orga. When Mari is about to be eaten, Orga sacrifices himself to save her while Faiz uses his Faiz Blaster to destroy the monster. A dying Yuji makes Takumi promise to fulfill his dream of peace between the humans and Orphnochs, while Smart Lady has Murakami's head crushed under executive orders. As the crowd stares at Takumi and Mari in silence, the pair walk out of the arena with Takumi telling Mari they will go anywhere until they find a place to live.

Steve (Harry Hamlin) works at a Porsche repair garage by day and by night reigns as the "King of The Mountain", the most successful and talented of a group that organize, wager on and participate in races up and down the narrow, winding roads of Mulholland Drive in the hills on the edge of the San Fernando Valley. In his highly tuned 356 Speedster, Steve races against both newcomers and veterans alike, never really considering the risks associated with the lifestyle or if there might be more for him elsewhere.

Steve's friends Buddy (Joseph Bottoms) and Roger (Richard Cox) want to get into the music industry, and although they once raced alongside Steve, their focus has shifted away from racing in favor of their potential careers, leaving Steve to reign as King alone, racing night after night for the thrills, but without much of the joy he once got from the racing. Aside from wanting the thrill, Steve is egged on by Cal (Dennis Hopper), a co-worker and the former King who reigned until a near-fatal accident destroyed his now aging, dilapidated Corvette and drove him over the edge mentally.

When Steve meets Tina (Deborah Van Valkenburgh), a young singer working with Buddy and Roger, he quickly falls for her and tries to introduce her to the world of street racing, but finds that she isn't as enthralled with it as he is and isn't interested in returning to the races or in being involved with a man who is constantly risking his life for a thrill. Torn between Tina and his life as a racer, Steve must choose to either remain King, or abdicate and leave so that he can start over in "real life". All the while, Cal is secretly rebuilding his Corvette, and he wants a shot at winning his title back.

The film's climax depicts a dangerous, high speed race down the hill between Steve and Cal.

When middle-class wife Karyn Beatty is attacked and raped in her Los Angeles home, she suffers a miscarriage and a nervous breakdown. She and her husband, Roy, leave the city and go to stay in the secluded California mountain village of Drago while Karyn recuperates. Although the town offers Karyn a quiet lifestyle and the locals are friendly, Karyn is disturbed when she continues to hear a strange howling sound at night coming from the woods outside of their new home. This further disrupts her marriage, as Roy believes she is becoming more and more unstable, but Karyn is adamant that there is something in the woods.

As tension between the couple increases, Roy begins an affair with one of the local women, a shopkeeper named Marcia Lura. However, on his way home, Roy is attacked in the woods by a large black wolf. Though the wolf only bites him, Roy becomes sick for several days. He was bitten by a werewolf, and has now become one himself. Karyn eventually discovers that the town's entire population are all actually werewolves and becomes trapped in Drago. She contacts her husband's best friend, Chris Halloran, who comes up from Los Angeles to rescue her. Chris arrives with some silver bullets which he had made at her insistence.

That night, the two of them fend off a group of werewolves (one of which is Karyn's husband, Roy) and Karyn is forced to shoot the black werewolf (revealed to be Marcia Lura) in the head. In the commotion, a fire breaks out at Karyn's woodland house which sweeps through the woods and the entire town of Drago is engulfed in flames as Karyn and Chris escape from its cursed inhabitants. As they flee, they can still hear the howling in the distance.

Former Green Beret Master Sergeant Johnny Gallagher (Hackman), is part of a U.S. Army unit patrolling outside a chalet in West Berlin, where the American President and the Soviet General Secretary are beginning talks for mutual nuclear disarmament. In another part of the chalet, high-ranking generals from the U.S. and Soviet militaries secretly agree to form a conspiracy to sabotage the talks. When U.S. General Carlson refuses to go along with the plot, he is assassinated outside the chalet by a pair of German hikers who slipped through the chalet's perimeter.

Gallagher is blamed for the disaster, and assigned as punishment to escort a "package", an Army sergeant named Walter Henke (Jones), from West Berlin back to the United States for court martial. After landing at Dulles International Airport, Gallagher is ambushed by an undercover team, who spirit Henke away. Gallagher tracks down Henke's wife and is surprised when she identifies a photo of a much younger man as her husband, confirming that the "Henke" who entered the States is an imposter. After he leaves, the same undercover team kills Mrs. Henke and phones in an anonymous tip, identifying Gallagher as the killer. When he reports to his new duty assignment, he is detained on suspicion of murder.

Meanwhile, the real Walter Henke is approached in Germany by Colonel Glen Whitacre (Heard), one of the conspirators, who tasks him with a top secret assignment to infiltrate a Neo-Nazi gang in his hometown of Chicago, who they believe are plotting to assassinate the President.

With the help of his ex-wife, Lt. Colonel Eileen Gallagher (Cassidy), and her assistant, Lt. Ruth Butler (Grier), Gallagher identifies the man he brought back from Germany as Thomas Boyette, a long-service Army veteran with a history of covert operations. Gallagher asks why anyone would impersonate a soldier about to be court-martialed, and the explanation given is that Boyette was able to enter the country without a passport, meaning there is no record of his entry and no way to track his movements.

When the same undercover team kills Butler and attacks Eileen, Johnny rescues her and escapes the base with the help of a friend. Knowing that they cannot trust anyone in the chain of command, the two investigate the conspiracy on their own, starting with trying to find the real Walter Henke in Chicago, where the next phase of the planned peace talks will take place. Johnny approaches his former Vietnam friend, Milan Delich (Franz), now a Lieutenant with the Chicago police, who allows the Gallaghers to hide at his house. A setup at a diner with a murder attempt by the same undercover team wounds Delich. As Delich is taken away by ambulance, conspirators dressed as cops capture Johnny, who is then held in the basement of the safe house where Boyette is staying.

After Boyette leaves for his assignment, Gallagher escapes and speeds toward downtown Chicago, using Boyette's surveillance photos from the basement as a guide to the planned assassination site. Meanwhile, the real Walter Henke is lured into an office building overlooking the site and killed by Boyette, the intention being to frame Henke for the assassination and make it look like he was killed later.

Following a hotel luncheon, the Soviet Press Secretary, one of the conspirators, convinces the General Secretary to make an unplanned stop just outside the hotel's garage for a photo op with émigré Russian families. Before the Secret Service can reach the site, Boyette takes aim at the General Secretary with a sniper rifle, but Gallagher bursts into the room in the nick of time and shoots Boyette dead.

Outside the room where he found Boyette, Gallagher confronts Whitacre and accuses him of trying to start a war for no reason. Angrily, Whitacre says that nuclear weapons are the only thing preventing conventional war from breaking out between Russia and the United States, and he and his Soviet counterparts are just smart enough to realize that mutual disarmament would be disastrous for both countries. Gallagher promises to expose the conspiracy and storms away, ignoring Whitacre's threats. On the street, Johnny reunites with Eileen and hugs her gratefully.

In voice over, Ike Pappas reports that Gallagher is appearing before a session of Congress to report what he knows of the conspiracy, including identifying Whitacre (described as "still missing") as one of its leaders.

After his confrontation with Gallagher, Whitacre enters a limousine with his Soviet counterpart, who asks him what their next step is. Before he can answer, their driver pulls over the car and shoots both colonels dead, thus ensuring that any blame will fall on them and the remaining conspirators will not be exposed.

Set in 1950s Arizona, the story follows a drifter and gambler named Beaudray Demerille (Fonda). In a card game he wins the movie's title character Wanda Nevada (Shields), a 13-year-old orphan with dreams of singing at the Grand Ole Opry. Despite his best efforts, Wanda sticks to Demerille, accompanying him to a pool hall. Texas Curly (Fix), an aging prospector, enters and tells the bar patrons about his gold mine in the Grand Canyon. They laugh him off as a drunk. As Curly leaves the bar, he drops a pouch. Wanda picks it up and follows Curly, then sees Strap Pangburn (Markland) and Ruby Muldoon (Askew), two cons from the bar, harassing the man about the location of the mine. Wanda runs when Strap and Ruby kill Curly, alerting them to her presence. She hides in Demerille's car and tells him about Curly's death. Strap and Ruby see Wanda in the car but get lost in the chase. Stopped for the night, Demerille and Wanda open Curly's pouch and find a map. They head to the Grand Canyon and trade the car for pack mules and mining supplies. Strap and Ruby follow behind by half a day.

While traveling in the canyon Demerille and Wanda meet Dorothy Deerfield (Lewis), a ''Life'' magazine photographer. Dorothy and Demerille try to get better acquainted after dinner in her tent, but jealous Wanda intrudes. They discuss their pasts, with Dorothy's husband and Wanda's father both killed during military service. Demerille tries to be nice but comes off as insensitive, and he and Wanda leave camp in the morning. They find a rope ladder over the canyon's side to a small cave. Before going down, Wanda confesses to Demerille that she loves him. He holds the rope as she rappels down the rock wall. An owl flies out at her and Wanda falls, but Demerille pulls her back up only to find that she is unconscious. He sits cradling Wanda and says he loves her, too. Demerille then explores the cave himself and finds gold. He returns to find Wanda awake and shows her a large gold piece. While mining the next day, Strap and Ruby finally catch up to them. Wanda and Demerille return to camp with four bags of gold only to find their mules gone. They throw the bags into the canyon in case someone is watching, then start walking. Strap and Ruby hold them at gunpoint and demand the gold, but Wanda insists there was none. A shootout leaves everyone unharmed. Strap and Ruby run off, and Demerille and Wanda seek shelter for the night. The following morning they find Strap and Ruby crucified in the desert. Wanda finds the mined gold scattered nearby. They pack it up and head down to the shore, where a boat is buried in the sand. After docking downstream, Demerille counts the gold as Wanda sleeps. The owl from the cave appears and an arrow is shot from the distance into Demerille's chest. Demerille, seemingly mortally wounded, pushes the boat into the river and passes out. Wanda wakes up the next morning as the boat is afloat in the river and finds Demerille near the edge of death, he professes his love for Wanda and passes out.

Sometime later, Wanda is in a hotel and is about to be returned to the orphanage by looming nuns. Reporters swarm the hotel lobby, all trying to get an exclusive story. Wanda flees the nuns as Demerille, now recovered and rich from selling the gold, pulls up outside the hotel in a new convertible. Wanda jumps in the convertible, and both laugh as Demerille tells the reporters there never was any gold in the Grand Canyon and Demerille and Wanda drive off into the sunset, while the song ''Morning Sun'' by Carole King adds to the atmospheric finale.

Daniels attends a meeting in Burrell's office to account for the actions of his men in starting a riot at the tower projects. When Daniels suggests that Prez be restricted to office work, Major Stanislaus Valchek, Prez's father-in-law, insists this would be an admission of guilt. Afterward, Burrell again insists on a simple investigation focused on arrests and seizures rather than securing convictions against the Barksdales. McNulty is frustrated that the detail has no photo of Avon. However, Freamon takes an interest when Greggs mentions Avon's former career in boxing. The next day, he returns with a promotional poster bearing a picture of a young Avon.

Daniels informs the detail that Prez is off the street and Herc will be on sick leave. McNulty and Greggs visit Fitz, looking to get some equipment to wire up Sydnor as he is sent undercover. When McNulty tells Fitz that Daniels is the commanding officer, Fitz appears to bite his tongue because Greggs is present. Meanwhile, Santangelo is revealed to be a mole in the detail, tasked with finding incriminating information on McNulty for Rawls. Sydnor is given advice from Bubbles on how to be more convincing as a street buyer. Together, Sydnor and Bubbles later visit the Pit. Sydnor notices with chagrin that neither drugs nor cash passes through the hands of any key players.

Back at the detail, Daniels reports that his superiors have insisted on a fast "buy-bust" style investigation. McNulty is angry that the case is being pushed in the opposite direction he had hoped for. He arrives at Pearlman's home that night and asks how to clone a beeper. She suggests that he needs probable cause and to demonstrate exhaustion of other investigative techniques in order to get a signed affidavit from a judge. They end up in bed together. The following day, Daniels readies the detail to storm the towers in an effort to find a stash. McNulty refuses to participate because he believes the raid will sabotage their case. Daniels is enraged at his perceived insubordination. Later, McNulty meets again with Fitz, who reveals that the FBI investigated Daniels after discovering he had hundreds of thousands of dollars in unexplained liquid assets.

Omar Little and his gang spend several days in a white van watching the Pit crew sell drugs. D'Angelo instructs Bodie, Poot, and Wallace in showing respect to their customers and shares his belief that if there were no violence involved in their trade, the police would not be interested in them. While waiting for more product to be delivered, D'Angelo spots his crew playing checkers with a chess set. He teaches them the game of chess using the Barksdales as an analogy. At Orlando's, Stringer is impressed by D'Angelo's earnings in the Pit and points out that if the Barksdales sell a low-quality product, addicts will buy more of it and the Barksdales end up with more money. On his way out, D'Angelo strikes up a conversation with Shardene. She doesn't remember him but is open to his advances.

Back in the Pit, D'Angelo leaves to buy food just before Omar's crew steals their drugs. When one of the low-rise dealers, Sterling, refuses to reveal the location of the stash and insists that nothing is there, Omar shoots him in the knee. This prompts a younger dealer to reveal that the stash is hidden in the kitchen. Bubbles is on hand to watch the robbery and reports back to Greggs. The next day, Wee-Bey berates D'Angelo for being absent during the theft but learns Omar's name from Bodie. Before they can discuss this further, the police raid the Pit. The detail finds little evidence, though Freamon notices a number written on a wall and writes it down. While searching the crew, Mahon is punched by Bodie. Carver, Greggs, and several officers respond with a beating. Carver reports that a camera crew has offered to show their seizures. Daniels is disgusted when Greggs points out they have nothing to show.

''Angela Anaconda'' short

Angela Anaconda and her friends line up to watch ''Digimon: The Movie'', but Nannette and her friends cut in line and Mrs. Brinks blocks her view in the screen. Angela imagines herself Digivolving into Angelamon to defeat Mrs. Brinks and Nannette, before the audience all realize they are in the wrong theater and leave.

Eight Years Ago

Tai and Kari Kamiya find a Digi-egg that appears from their computer, which hatches and Digivolves into Agumon. Agumon wanders into the night with Kari as Tai pursues them. The neighborhood watches as a Parrotmon hatches from a second Digi-egg in the sky. When Parrotmon attacks Tai and Kari, Agumon protects them by digivolving to Greymon. When Greymon is knocked out, Tai reawakens him with Kari's whistle and he defeats Parrotmon, but, following the battle, they both disappear. Those who witnessed this would later become the DigiDestined, children chosen to protect the Digital and real worlds.

Four Years Later

An infected Digi-egg appears on the Internet and hatches into a Digimon who devours computer code, causing chaos to the world's computer systems. Izzy and Tai are warned by Gennai and a boy from Colorado called Willis, who tells them to find a way to slow the Digimon down. Their Digimon, Agumon and Tentomon, enter the internet but are no match for the newly-Digivolved Infermon. Tai tries to recruit backup, but can only reach Matt and T.K., whose Digimon are also defeated by Infermon's final form, Diaboromon.

Diaboromon duplicates himself and infects the Pentagon's computers, launching nuclear missiles at Colorado and the DigiDestined's neighborhood which will impact in ten minutes. After WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon are defeated by the multitude of Diaboromon, Tai and Matt become digital and enter their computers. Through the collective power of everyone watching, WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon are revived and DNA Digivolve into Omnimon. Omnimon destroys the Diaboromon copies and Izzy, realizing that e-mails being sent in from people around the world watching on their computers have been slowing their Digimon down, redirects them to the original Diaboromon to freeze him in place long enough for Omnimon to destroy him. The missiles are disabled, but the same virus that created Diaboromon tracks down Willis and corrupts his Digimon, Kokomon.

Present Day

While visiting Mimi Tachikawa in New York City, T.K. and Kari witness a battle between Willis, Terriermon, and a corrupted Kokomon who tells Willis to "go back". Willis returns home to Colorado, followed by T.K. and Kari, who informs Davis, Yolei and Cody to meet them there.

Davis, Yolei and Cody hitch-hike to Colorado, where they meet Willis and Terriermon on the way. Willis reveals his history with Diaboromon and that the same virus has infected Kokomon. Willis vows that he must confront Kokomon himself, but Terriermon and Davis offer him support and solidarity. In the final battle with Kokomon's Mega form, the DigiDestined are overpowered until Kari, T.K., Angemon and Angewomon intervene. Angewomon and Angemon release Golden Digi-Eggs to Davis and Willis, allowing Veemon and Terriermon to Golden Armor Digivolve to Magnamon and Rapidmon. Kokomon de-ages all the DigiDestined, and they realize that "go back" meant to go back in time to when the virus first attacked. The two Golden Digimon are swallowed by Kokomon and destroy the virus from within, killing Kokomon in the process. After bidding the DigiDestined farewell, Willis and Terriermon find Kokomon's Digi-egg on a beach.

When a mission to retrieve a stolen suitcase bomb goes awry, Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) agent Kevin Pope is killed. Pope was working undercover as an antiquities dealer under the name Michael Turner. The CIA, which is desperate to complete the mission, discovers that Agent Pope had a twin brother, Jake Hayes, from whom he was separated at birth; their mother died giving birth and Hayes suffered from a severe lung infection that prompted the doctors to separate them because they felt that Hayes was unlikely to live for very long. Hayes hustles chess games, scalps tickets and works at small clubs in Jersey City, New Jersey to make ends meet. Meanwhile, Hayes's girlfriend, Julie grows tired of waiting for him to grow up and decides to move to Seattle, Washington.

After the CIA successfully persuades Hayes to participate and begins to train Hayes for a mission that is to take place in Prague, Czech Republic, they are initially dismayed by his lack of refinement. Agent Oakes confronts Hayes, telling him he doesn't trust him. When Hayes begins paying attention, the CIA sets him up in his brother's old apartment in Manhattan to test him and try to bait the men who killed his brother. Hayes is attacked, but escapes unharmed. Looking for a way out, Hayes goes to his foster mother only to be found by Oakes, who persuades him to finish the mission.

After arriving in Prague, Hayes - posing as his dead brother - meets with the men selling the suitcase bomb. The seller, Adrik Vas is an ex-Russian Army Colonel with ties to the Russian Mafia. When they return to their hotel, Hayes is greeted by his brother's ex-girlfriend Nicole. Believing Hayes is his brother, she dines with him and returns to his hotel, where the couple is ambushed by rival buyers. Nicole figures out that Hayes isn't his brother and returns to her assignment covering the Balkans for CNN.

Hayes and Oakes meet with Vas and are able to steal the arming codes. Just as they close the deal, Vas' men double cross them with the rival buyer. When the rival dealers, who are part of a multi-national terrorist organization, learn they can't detonate the bomb because of the missing codes, they kidnap Julie. Hayes gives himself up trying to save his girlfriend, and the terrorists get the codes back and arm the bomb.

After interrogating one of the captured terrorists, they track the bomb to Grand Central Station. With the clock ticking, they locate the bomb and the terrorist leader Dragan Ađanić, who has started the countdown. Oakes rescues Hayes by killing two terrorists. As Hayes starts to enter the codes to disarm the bomb, Ađanić holds Julie hostage. In order to distract Ađanić, Hayes pretends to shoot Oakes, and they kill Ađanić by shooting him repeatedly. Hayes is able to disarm the bomb just prior to detonation. Hayes visits his brother's grave. Later, Oakes approaches Hayes and warns him that a dangerous criminal has escaped from prison and is seeking revenge on Kevin Pope, but since Kevin is dead and Hayes was impersonating him, the criminal thinks Hayes is Kevin. Hayes begins to panic and demands that Oakes protect him, but Oakes laughs as he reveals that it was just a joke and he really just came for the wedding.

As described in a review in a film magazine, James Hamilton (Tearle) and his friend Peter Ewing (Cooper) aid a poorly dressed young woman who faints from exhaustion. They are then surprised when she holds them up and robs the safe. At a reception, one of the guests is Gloria Waring (Kennedy), a musical comedy star, and James, struck by her resemblance to the woman who robbed them, finds part of the costume in her automobile and confronts her. She confesses that she adopted this method to obtain her father's will in a desperate effort to prevent the fortune that was left to her brother from falling into the hands of an adventuress named Teddy. James, who has fallen in love with Gloria, offers to help her, discovers that Teddy is the young woman with whom he once had an affair. Just as Teddy and the brother Dick (Mack) are about to be married, James prevents it by claiming that Teddy is his common-law wife. Gloria will then have nothing to do with James, and he makes plans to leave for Europe. Peter discloses that the fortune was left to Gloria and that James sacrificed himself for her sake. Deciding to accept that James' affair with Teddy was just a youthful discretion, Gloria and James are reconciled.

Rich and beautiful Helen King is about to marry Steve Carlyle, a wealthy young professional. Unknown to Helen and her family, Steve is a legal advisor to a megalomaniac gangster Goldie Gorio.

Steve wishes to leave the rackets but Goldie reintroduces him to his future father-in-law, a rival gangster where both parties see the marriage as a symbol of peace and an end of violence in their transactions. Steve remains with Goldie and fills in for him to a visit to a rival gangster's boat where he is ambushed and nearly killed by their machine gun. Helen vows revenge on Goldie.

A dancer whose career was ruined in an accident has her mobility restored by a surgeon. Her boyfriend gives her a stolen diamond.

A group of soldiers pulls up to a modest white house and goes inside. Moments later, they exit, dragging a boy in a dress who is frantically resisting them. The soldiers throw the boy in a wagon with other boys, one of whom is also dressed as a woman to avoid conscription. At the Dixon home, the soldiers search for Drew (Barry Brown) despite his mother's protest. She explains that she has already lost one son to the war. When the soldiers leave, Drew emerges from his hiding place. His parents give him $100 and urge him to go West, giving him their picture and his brother's watch as mementos.

In St. Joseph, Missouri, Drew is approached by Jake Rumsey (Jeff Bridges) who pistol-whips him and takes his money in an alley. Jake runs a gang of petty thieves who steal purses and rob children of their pocket change. While Drew is recovering at a minister's house, Jake arrives to return the purse that one of his gang stole from the minister's wife, hoping to collect a reward. Once inside, he purloins various household items until Drew sees him and attacks, demanding his money back. After a long struggle, Jake finally bests Drew and convinces him that he has no choice but to join his gang, as the Army will catch him if he tries to board a wagon train as is his plan.

Jake introduces Drew to his gang of thieves: the brothers Jim Bob (Damon Cofer) and Loney Logan (John Savage), Arthur Simms (Jerry Houser), and the ten-year-old Boog Bookin (Joshua Hill Lewis). Loney demands that Drew demonstrate his worth by committing a robbery and bringing in some money. Drew agrees and claims to have robbed a hardware store, when in fact he simply took $12 from his boot where he is hiding his parents' money.

The gang heads West, hoping to improve their fortunes. At night, Drew reads to everyone from ''Jane Eyre''. When they spy a rabbit, all six of them shoot at it, barely managing to kill it. Jake orders Boog to clean the rabbit, but Boog declines. Jake is stunned to realize that no one in the gang knows how to clean the rabbit. He demonstrates how to do it, but his barely contained disgust reveals that he is skinning his first rabbit. The next day, a settler and his wife are returning from the West, where they went bust. The settler offers his wife to all six boys for $10. Drew declines, citing his morals.

The following morning, Big Joe (David Huddleston) and his thugs, led by Hobbs (Geoffrey Lewis), come upon the boys while they are still asleep. During the robbery, Jake aims his gun at Big Joe, but doesn't have the nerve to fire. Flat broke, the gang tries unsuccessfully to mount a string of robberies, which results in Arthur running away with a stagecoach (which he was supposed to be robbing) and Boog being shot and killed while running with a pie stolen from a window sill.

The gang finally disintegrates for good when the Logan brothers rob Jake and Drew, taking his brother's watch and the horses. Left with only a mule, Jake and Drew wander aimlessly. Eventually, they come across the Logan brothers' corpses hanging from a tree. Big Joe's gang has killed them, and as Jake and Drew bury their bodies, Hobbs leads the thugs to attack them, despite Big Joe's warning that they would bungle the job. Sure enough, Jake and Drew manage to kill all four thugs, and as Drew leans over Hobbs to retrieve his watch, he reveals a hole in his boot. Jake sees a $10 bill through the hole and realizes that Drew had lied about robbing the hardware store. He pistol-whips Drew again and takes the money.

When Drew awakens, he wanders alone, swearing that he'll kill Jake if he ever sees him again. Seeing smoke on the horizon, he investigates, only to find that it was the result of a burning barn, set afire during a raid by Big Joe. Before he is hanged for taking part in the raid, one of Joe's men confirms to Drew that Jake has joined up with the gang. Drew joins the posse in order to get his revenge on Jake.

The posse captures Big Joe's gang, and as Drew guards Jake, he realizes how guilty he is by lying about his money. Jake offers to split $1,000 that the gang has buried. Drew helps him escape during the night, but after a few days of riding, he realizes that there is no buried money. Jake assumes that Drew will kill him, but Drew swears instead to stick with Jake until he has repaid every cent that he owes Drew.

In the final scene, as they approach a town, Jake asks Drew, "So how'd that ''Jane Eyre'' turn out in the end?" Drew replies, "Fine. Just fine." The two boys walk into the Wells Fargo and rob it.

An alley cat searches for food in some garbage cans late at night. Unable to find anything worth his while (the bones he finds are stolen by other alley cats before he can take a bite), he spots a refrigerator inside a house and heads for it. He sneaks onto the property only to wake a sleeping bulldog. The bulldog chases the cat up to the side of the house. The cat quickly pulls out some sleeping pills, putting the dog into a deep sleep.

Once inside, the cat searches for food in the kitchen, but comes up empty. His luck finally changes when he notices a can of cat food. He quickly opens the can and out pops a mouse, who is plopped down onto a dinner plate. The cat is about to dig in with a fork, but the mouse puts a quick stop to that. He says that the cat can't eat him because he has already seen the cartoon they are in, and that he winds up saving the cat's life later. The feline understands, but wants some food as he is starving. The mouse points into the other room and tells him that there is a huge, fat, tasty canary in there. The cat charges out into the other room, stuffs the unseen canary into a sack, and heads back to the kitchen.

The bird is emptied from the sack, to be revealed as scrawny and little. The bird tells the cat, "Well, I've been sick...". Disgusted with the tiny creature at first but still desperate, the cat gets a (literal) brainstorm when he sees a bottle of Jumbo Gro plant growth formula on the shelf. Quickly, he pours some of the formula into the bird and sure enough, the canary grows rapidly in size. But before the cat can take a bite, the bird is already over ten feet tall. The canary takes advantage of his new height and beats up on the cat. The cat turns the tables on the bird and drinks the Jumbo Gro formula himself, increasing in size until he is much bigger than the bird. He tosses the formula out of the window only for it to land in the bulldog's mouth. While the now giant-sized cat chases the slightly smaller canary through the side of the house, the bulldog guzzles down the formula. After a quick run around the block, the cat and canary wind up back outside of the house, where a now gigantic bulldog appears before them. The cat runs away in fear as the bulldog tosses the bottle of Jumbo Gro down the chimney, where it rolls out of the fireplace and straight to the mouse, who is reading a book titled “The Lost Squeekend” (a play on the 1944 book The Lost Weekend) in the living room. The dog leaps over the house and chases the cat into the city.

Meanwhile, the mouse takes a few sips of the formula, instantly growing to gigantic size. The dog chases the cat through the city, only for the now gargantuan mouse to show up and scare the bulldog away with a simple "Boo!". The mouse, who is as tall as a twenty-story building, reminds the cat that he told him he would save his life. The cat thanks him as the mouse hands the bottle of Jumbo Gro back to him and waddles off. The cat rubs his enormous belly, realizing he is still hungry, then sees the huge mouse stomping off and gets another idea. He suddenly drinks more of the formula and grows even bigger than the mouse. The cat, who is by now one hundred stories tall, chases the giant but smaller mouse through the city and across the country, passing the Grand Canyon, the Hoover Dam, and the Rocky Mountains.

The giant mouse hides in a railroad tunnel, losing the cat for a moment. The mouse drinks the Jumbo Gro when the cat isn't paying attention and becomes even bigger than the cat. The mouse starts to beat up on the cat only for the cat to take the formula back and drink it, further increasing his size. The mouse takes it back and drinks more to further increase his size as well. They continue to increase their sizes until they suddenly both come to a stop at the same exact size when they realize that the formula's bottle is empty. They tell the audience that they will have to end the cartoon, now that the formula has run out. They wave goodbye to the audience before the camera pulls back, revealing that they have outgrown the Earth itself and are standing atop the globe.

Former CIA agent Nelson Crowe is hired by Vic Grimes for a position with his company nicknamed "The Toolshed." Grimes' firm employs people with intelligence service backgrounds to sell their talents with regard to extortion and corporate espionage to domestic and foreign corporations. Grimes' second in command, Margaret Wells, begins working with Crowe and seduces him, enticing him with a plot to murder Grimes so they can take over the firm.

The Toolshed's top client, Curl Industries, is being sued in a class action lawsuit in a case currently on appeal at the Washington state Supreme Court. Curl Industries is accused of poisoning the water supply to a small town, resulting in the birth of disabled children. Grimes gives Crowe $1 million to bribe one of the justices, Justin Beach (David Ogden Stiers), into swinging the verdict in favor of Curl Industries.

Crowe and Toolshed operative Todd Stapp (Michael Beach) buy Justice Beach's $25,000 gambling debt from bookmaker Bobby Birdsong (James Hong) and pay for information on Beach's personal life from his friend, Les Goodwin (Daniel Hugh Kelly). During a secret progress report meeting, Crowe is revealed to in fact be a mole for the CIA, albeit against his will. Crowe was dismissed from the agency on suspicion of stealing a $50,000 bribe meant for an Iraqi colonel.

Crowe's former boss, William "Smitty" Smithfield (Michael Murphy), is threatening prison time or the disappearance of the bribe as leverage to get Crowe to infiltrate the Toolshed. The CIA intends to acquire the firm and use it as a black operations hub with Smitty in charge. During the meeting, as he turns over the $1 million bribe money for inspection, Crowe secretly records his conversation with Smitty, who also forces him to sign a receipt. Stapp later discovers Crowe's secret objective and extorts a payoff from Smitty to remain silent about it.

Beach accepts the $1 million bribe delivered by Crowe. He and his mistress Julie Ames (Gia Carides) sign a receipt to ensure Beach's cooperation. Beach buys tickets for a flight to the Caribbean and sends Julie ahead with the money, telling her he intends to leave his wife and join her. However, after reneging on his agreement and voting against Curl Industries, Beach commits suicide.

Despite the setback caused by Beach's death and his vote, Wells and Crowe continue with their plan to murder Grimes. Wells spends a romantic weekend with Grimes at his fishing cabin. Crowe sneaks in and shoots Grimes, then beats Wells to make it appear like the murder was a robbery gone wrong.

Wells and Crowe then take over the Toolshed, though Wells now rebuffs Crowe's affections towards her, having used him to get what she wanted. Upon hearing of her lover's death, Julie travels to Europe, sending Goodwin postcards telling him how she's enjoying spending the $1 million. Goodwin sells this information to Crowe, who in turn takes it to Wells.

Wells orders Crowe to find and kill Julie because of her knowledge of the bribe attempt. Smitty confronts Wells in her office at the Toolshed and informs her of the CIA's plan to take over and also of Crowe's involvement in the agency's infiltration.

Julie buys a gun from Goodwin and goes to Crowe's apartment to kill him in revenge for Beach's death. She arrives shortly after Wells, who also came to kill Crowe. In a chaotic shootout, Julie blindly fires at both as Crowe and Wells shoot each other dead.

Julie somehow remains unharmed. As she meticulously picks up her shell casings, she finds Crowe's briefcase containing incriminating evidence, including the tape of his conversations with Smitty and the receipt she and Beach signed. After burning the receipt, Julie mails the tape to the U.S. Attorney's office to expose the corrupt dealings of both the CIA and the Toolshed. She then leaves town for good, alone.

The story is set in Southern California in July 1993. Jack Powell is a businessman with a wife and kids who live in San Diego. He's on his way home, when he pulls over to the side of the road to check out a crime scene. The sheriff tells him a cut-up body has been found stuffed into the trunk of a Chrysler, and advises him not to stop, nor "make any new friends." A policeman slams the trunk, revealing a name has been etched across the top: "Hatchet Man".

Further down the road, Jack comes upon a hitchhiker, but keeps on going. Jack stops at a diner, and runs into the same man, who introduces himself as Adrian. Jack apologizes for not stopping earlier, and offers to buy Adrian lunch. Adrian soon nicknames their waitress, Patsy, "Jingle Bells", because of the silver bracelets she wears on one wrist. Patsy talks excitedly about a briefcase full of $1.25 million in mob money which was stolen from a Las Vegas casino the previous day. Jack looks around nervously and slides his briefcase underneath the table. Adrian tells Jack he's very intuitive about people he meets, and can usually tell all he needs to know about someone within a couple of minutes of meeting them. For example, is the person a loser, or was he a football star, or, perhaps class president. Jack doesn't seem convinced before Adrian asks him what he's got in his briefcase. When Adrian gets up to make a move on Patsy in the kitchen, Jack ditches him and makes his escape.

As Jack drives down the highway, he listens to a radio newscaster recount the story of the stolen briefcase and discusses a string of murders in which all the victims have been dismembered. Jack is forced to turn back because a roadblock has been set up to cordon off a chemical spill. Jack checks into a motel. In the middle of the night, Jack awakes, and walks outside his room to investigate another crime scene, this one located behind the diner where he and Adrian had lunch that day. He sees a severed arm with silver bracelets placed into a bag and Adrian hiding in the shadows. Adrian joins Jack in his motel room and shoots up in the bathroom. When it seems Adrian is unconscious, Jack tries to leave again, but his car won't start. Adrian stumbles out and reveals he's removed the plugs from Jack's car, and tells Jack not to leave again, or "I'll call the police".

The next morning, Jack and Adrian take to the road together. At a gas station, they meet a young hippie couple named Gerald and Dahlia, who are traveling cross-country in a Dodge van. Adrian wants to hang out with the hippies, but Jack insists they keep going. They stop at a service station so Jack can have a busted water hose on his car replaced. As Jack deals with the attendant, Adrian browses a pet store called the Creepy Crawly Zoo. The owner, Harliss, shows Adrian a Gila monster, which uses its viselike bite to inject a neurotoxin into the bloodstream. Back in the car, with Jack behind the wheel, Adrian uses the Gila monster to reassert his power over Jack by throwing the monster onto Jack's lap while he drives. Jack struggles to maintain his composure, and appears frozen by fear and anxiety. To compound matters, Adrian then slams his foot onto the accelerator and the car almost loses control and eventually shudders to a grinding halt before Adrian lets the Gila monster go, and warns Jack on his previous disobedience, and tells Jack he is "one crazy motherfucker".

Jack and Adrian spend that night at a campsite, where they once again run into Gerald and Dahlia. Adrian gets high with them while Jack broods outside the van. Adrian accuses Jack of trying to scare them off. Later, Jack finds Adrian having sex with Dahlia in the back of the van while Gerald watches. Jack gets drunk and retires. Adrian shows up later and goads him. After Jack and Adrian drive away in the morning, a shot of the van shows blood smeared down the license plate and the name "Hatchet Man" etched across the back doors. The following night, Jack and Adrian stay at a secluded cabin Jack inherited. For the first time, we see the money was stolen from the Vegas casino, as Jack and Adrian use it to play poker. Adrian prepares to shoot up again, as Jack lectures him about his drug "problem". Adrian slaps Jack around, and accuses him of being an alcoholic and a hypocrite. Adrian releases Jack from his grip and returns to his drugs whilst advising Jack to do the same with his drink. Jack reacts by beating Adrian from behind with his briefcase, taping him to a chair and injecting him with a deadly mixture of alcohol and drugs. Adrian convulses and appears to expire, and Jack buries him in a shallow grave.

Sheriff Gordon and his deputy, Little David show up to check on Jack, and over their shoulders Jack can see Adrian rising from the grave. The policemen are called away on a domestic disturbance and leave without noticing Adrian. Jack attempts to gun him down. After he's unloaded his shotgun, Adrian emerges from the shadows. When Adrian pleads with Jack as to why he cuts up the bodies into tiny little pieces, Jack removes a hatchet from his briefcase, and now in a far more confident baritone than he has displayed at any point in the film announces, "For the fuck of it", and as the screen fades to black the spectator is left only with the sounds of a violent struggle and can only conclude Jack has killed Adrian once and for all.

Jack returns home to San Diego and kisses his wife, Carol. The paperboy greets him and he replies cheerfully, "Say, hey, Billy." As the film fades to black, a quote from the Book of Jeremiah appears on the screen: "The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked. Who can know it?" This echoes an earlier statement made by Adrian, who said that human beings are essentially unknowable.

In Colorado near the end of the American Civil War, Union Colonel Owen Devereaux (Glenn Ford) orders his regiment to fire on a detachment of Confederate soldiers, even though he (and only he) has seen that they are signalling their surrender with a white flag. Afterwards, his best friend and second-in-command, Captain Del Stewart (William Holden), finds the white flag, considers it and then buries it as a surviving Confederate officer secretly looks on.

Immediately after the battle the soldiers find out that the war has ended. As they celebrate, Sergeant Jericho Howard (James Millican) gets drunk while on duty and is insubordinate to Devereaux, who has him arrested. At a celebratory ball in the troops' hometown, the mayor announces Devereaux's appointment as the federal judge for the region. Stewart asks Caroline Emmett (Ellen Drew) to marry him, but she is undecided between the two friends and later marries Devereaux instead.

When the Confederate major confronts Devereaux about the white flag, Devereaux disarms him and then shoots him several times with his own gun, even though the man has already been subdued. Stewart realises that Devereaux must have seen the flag and concludes that the war has unhinged his mind.

He agrees to serve as Devereaux's marshal after Devereaux promises not to carry a gun or participate in arrests.

Many of Devereaux's volunteer troops owned mines before the war, but a wealthy businessman, Big Ed Carter (Ray Collins), has claimed the mines for his company. As federal judge, Devereaux upholds Carter's claim based on a legal technicality.

Meanwhile Jericho escapes and stages a series of gold robberies. Devereaux's uncle, Doc Merriam (Edgar Buchanan), hopes that the end of the war and marriage to Caroline will settle Devereaux down, but Devereaux hangs Jericho's partner after a hasty summary trial out in the country following a posse chase, prompting several other men to join Jericho. Devereaux also threatens to hang Jericho's younger brother Johnny (Jerome Courtland), based on circumstantial evidence after another robbery, even though Johnny is not part of his brother's gang. After warning Devereaux not to hang Johnny, Stewart finds Jericho and persuades him to turn himself in, but when Devereaux hangs Johnny Stewart resigns in disgust and joins Jericho's gang.

After Stewart helps to rescue some men from being hanged, Devereaux lures him into town by spreading a rumour that Caroline is in danger, arrests him and puts him in jail. When Caroline sees this, she breaks into Devereaux's desk and reads his diary, finally realises that he is mentally unstable and persuades Doc Merriam to rescue Stewart. She begins to put Stewart and Doc Merriam on a carriage to alert the state governor of Devereaux's instability, but he shoots Stewart. She then drives the carriage for Stewart and the doctor as they flee to a nearby mining town. Devereaux cannot get the miners to surrender Stewart, and he eventually sets fire to the town. When Carter accuses him of being crazy with jealousy over Caroline's loyalty to Stewart, he rides into town, confronts Stewart, Jericho and Caroline. Devereaux fights with Jericho and is killed when a wall from a burning building falls on them.

Stewart boards a stage to travel to Washington, D.C. to plead on behalf of the dispossessed miners, but promises Caroline he will return.

Martin, who had previously tried to kill himself following the so-called "Eggroll Incident," has been released from the mental hospital. He goes back to work, where he designs corporate mascot costumes. He's not completely recovered yet, though, and is recommended to Dr. Orloff, who is possibly the worst doctor in the world. Martin's first appointment consists of a single question. They skip out on the rest of the appointment to go to a softball game, which Orloff drags Martin to. Screwball adventures ensue.

In 1972, disenchanted about the dreary conventions of English life, 25-year-old Julia (Winslet) heads for Morocco with her daughters, six-year-old Lucy and eight-year-old Bea. Living in a low-rent Marrakech hotel, the trio survive on the sale of hand-sewn dolls and money from the girls' father, a London poet who also has a child from another woman.

After the girls match their mother with gentle Moroccan acrobat and conman Bilal, sexual gears are set in motion. He eventually moves in with them and serves as a surrogate father. Julia's friend Eva urges Julia to study in Algiers with a revered Sufi master at a school of "the annihilation of the ego". In another sequence, European dandy Santoni invites Julia and the girls to his villa. As finances dwindle, Bilal's philosophy is "God will provide", although usually it is Bilal himself who provides. Sometimes he also disappears. At one point Bea contracts a streptococcus infection while he is gone and nearly dies. Bilal returns only to disappear again, but he has a plan. They discover that three return tickets that suddenly appear have been bought by him with money he got from the sale of his uniform. In the end, Julia and the girls board a train back to London.

The plot of ''A Tuna Christmas'' centers on the town's annual Christmas Yard Display Contest, won 14 times in a row by Vera Carp. A mysterious "Christmas Phantom", known for vandalizing the yard displays, threatens to throw the contest into turmoil. Among the subplots are Stanley Bumiller's attempts to end his probation and leave Tuna, Bertha Bumiller's trying to hold her family together at Christmas time, and Joe Bob Lipsey's struggle to mount successfully his production of ''A Christmas Carol'' despite numerous vexations and obstacles.

''City Guys'' was mainly centered on its two main characters, Jamal Grant (Wesley Jonathan) and Chris Anderson (Scott Whyte), two teenagers from different backgrounds – Chris coming from a wealthy family, and Jamal coming from a working-class family – who had to stay on the ball while attending Manhattan High School (which was nicknamed in the series as "Manny High") and avoid trouble, while their principal Karen Noble (Marcella Lowery) attempted to keep them in line and out of trouble. Jamal and Chris's similar personalities caused friction between them in the beginning, but they became best friends as the series went on. The boys and their friends – overachiever Dawn Tartikoff (Caitlin Mowrey), slick guy Al Ramos (Dion Basco), aspiring actress Cassidy Giuliani (Marissa Dyan) and dimwitted bully-turned-friend (who was held back six grades) Lionel "L-Train" Johnson (Steven Daniel) – dealt with the typical teen issues, such as cheating on tests, peer pressure, racism, and dealing with school violence.

The Warden Diamond is a system of four planets, ruled by their own lords, collectively called "The Four Lords of the Diamond". Each planet of the Diamond has its own special "Warden Organism", a symbiotic microorganism that lives within the inhabitants of the planets. The organisms destroy their host when he or she leaves the Warden Diamond, making the planet system the ideal prison colony for the Confederacy, a massive space empire.

An android clone that successfully infiltrated a government facility on a central world and downloaded vital defense information, transmits the information to a source and is destroyed in the process. The Confederacy discovers and tracks the clone towards the Warden Diamond, whose four lords are cooperating with an alien race to plan a mutiny against the Confederacy.

The government sends its best agent to investigate. Through technological advances, the government duplicates the personality of the agent (who remains unnamed throughout the series) and implants "him" into four brain-dead host bodies. The four hosts are then sent to four different planets in the Warden system and have no choice but to fulfill their assignment of locating and defeating each of the Four Lords, delaying the expected alien invasion and finding out vital information on the infiltrators.

Victor "Vic" Kelly (Christopher Walken) is a struggling auto mechanic with a safe-cracking past and a lot of debt. When a supposed cousin from Ireland visits Vic, the alleged cousin sabotages one of Vic's auto repair jobs, to ensure Vic's desperation and participation in the robbery scheme introduced to Vic by neighborhood resident Pat (Donal Logue).

Vic is too stubbornly proud to accept a loan from his bar-owner girlfriend Sally (Cyndi Lauper), who offers Vic money that she was otherwise planning to use to renovate and remodel her neighborhood bar. Vic agrees to the robbery scheme, and goes to the armored courier service posing as a potential customer.

Given a view of the facility, including being shown the triple combination-lock vault, Vic then goes to work on practicing his safecracking skills for the big day. The auto mechanic takes one last shot at the lucrative robbery with his Irish cohort to pay off his debts. We find out the cousin is not really a cousin. Vic becomes locked in the vault, while the fake cousin takes a bag of cash and makes his escape from the scene.

The Irish cohort has a change of heart and returns with a bag of cash taken from Vic at the scene at the crime. Vic can now afford to keep his elderly aunt in her retirement home. There's enough money for Vic to be a good guy and give a cut to the two guards, who were in on the robbery with Vic, and had gotten fired. And Vic buys a juke box as a gift for his girlfriend's remodeled bar.

A second bag of cash is taken from the vault by the armoured-courrier service owner, who will report all the cash missing, and make false insurance and IRS claims. To protect his own scheme, the owner refuses to press charges against Vic. Vic finally experiences a bit of good luck for once in his life. The movie ends with Vic walking back to his girlfriend.

The movie begins in an old castle in Europe with a very old woman lying in a bed, most likely dying. A priest, a nun and a man are praying in front of her bed. As they are praying, another man enters. He is a Japanese actor who, in broken German, says that he must talk to the old woman. The priest tries to hush him, but the old woman tells him to come in.

Pod is a country boy who moves to Bangkok, despite his grandmother's warning that he'll grow a tail. He finds a small house to live in and takes a job in a sardine cannery, getting rides to work on the back of a motorcycle taxi, the rider of which has been made a zombie after one day it rained motorcycle helmets and he wasn't wearing one.

One hot day the assembly line at the cannery malfunctions. In the confusion, Pod chops his index finger off and it ends up in a can that is trucked away to a local grocery store. He searches everyday, buying can after can of sardines. Eventually he sees a can jumping around and opens it to find a finger. He attaches it simply by pressing it into place.

But something doesn't feel right. He must have someone else's finger. During a lunch break, he recognises his own finger on a co-worker who's getting ready to pick his nose. He wrests the finger away and gives the man the other finger in return. The nose-picker is named Yod, and the two become friends.

Not wishing to lose any more fingers, Pod quits the factory and becomes a security guard. On the job in an office, he meets Jin, a maid who has her nose perpetually buried in a mysterious white book written in a foreign language that she dreams of someday understanding. The book literally landed at her feet one day while she was still living in the countryside, and since then she has been trying to decipher its meaning. She has obsessive-compulsive disorder, which makes her want to constantly clean and set things in order.

Pod is smitten and wishes to be closer to Jin. Inspired by Yod and his Chinese empress girlfriend, who consummated their relationship on a crowded bus, Pod asks Jin if she would like to ride the bus. But Jin refuses, saying she breaks out in a rash whenever she takes crowded public transport. Pod quits his job as a guard and becomes a taxicab driver so he can drive her to work.

Eventually, he expresses his true feelings for Jin, but she's become obsessed with a hippie farang, whom she's seen reading the same white book she has. She imagines the man is named Peter and believes he is an environmental activist who was killed in a protest in Washington, D.C. Inspired, she starts collecting plastic bottles, gathering enough to create a mountain that towers over the city, and joins an environmental protest movement calling for a ban on plastic.

Meanwhile, Pod has adventures in his taxicab, giving rides to a little girl with a foul mouth who smokes cigarettes and plays videogames. She has a teddy bear who also swears, smokes and drinks whiskey, and she eventually throws the teddy bear away. Another passenger is a man who incessantly licks things, and Pod must find a solution to make him stop. He also meets his grandmother, reincarnated as a gecko, who repeats her premonition that he'll grow a tail if he stays in the city.

Jin discovers Peter at a rally, who reveals his name is actually Andre and that the white book is an Italian gay romance novel. Crestfallen, Jin throws away the book and her activist lifestyle and leaves Bangkok, telling Pod she needs to be away from him. Pod quits as a taxi driver and returns to the country, only to grow bored as country life has literally slowed down compared to his life in Bangkok. He returns to the city to find that everyone now can and has grown a tail, except for him. He becomes a celebrity, but continues to search for Jin in vain. Pod climbs the plastic mountain and finds her there, confesses his love again and kisses her, overwhelming her doubts about their future.

Six months later, the mountain is a picnic for lovebirds, the girl and her teddy bear marry, and Jin, now running a plastic company into the ground as a successful business woman, is married to Pod and expecting a child. Through a long list of reincarnated animals, Pod believes that his child will actually be his grandmother.

The story focuses on a dysfunctional Australian family that includes two daughters: Dawn (nicknamed "Sweetie"), a plump, lively, often delusional woman who fancies herself an actor, and her thin, sullen, superstitious sister Kay, a factory worker who has a boyfriend named Louis. Their parents, Flo and Gordon, are having serious marital problems.

Kay loves Louis because the words of a fortune teller portended she would end up with him. However, the couple's relationship begins to show signs of strain, with Kay uprooting and hiding a tree Louis attempts to plant in their yard because she feels a deep foreboding about it. After an absence, Sweetie returns home with her drug-addicted lover and "manager" Bob; she then proceeds to intimidate, control, and abuse the other members of her family. Gordon chooses to ignore Sweetie's mental illness and erratic, childish behavior because he loves her and thinks of her as a child. Throughout the film, there are flashbacks to Sweetie dancing, singing and performing small, circus-like tricks with Gordon's assistance. Flo admits he indulges her.

Sweetie's emotional volatility and physical destructiveness (ruining Kay's clothes, breaking furniture) reflects the disruption she has caused her family. Louis breaks up with Kay after mounting tension between the couple. After a series of circular fights (Sweetie rages, her family forgives her, her sweetness and fun persona return), Sweetie completely loses her mind. She strips off her clothes, paints her body black and holes up in her childhood tree house. Though her family begs her to come down, she refuses and keeps shaking the fort until it falls from the tree, killing her and injuring Flo. Trees continue to play a role even after Sweetie's death, as her private interment is briefly disrupted by a tree root that obstructs her grave.

Louis and Kay get back together, while Kay's family achieves a sort of resolution. They no longer feel manipulated and agitated by Sweetie's presence. However, the best of her personality persists, as Kay and her parents maintain an image of her in her truest form, that of a little girl.

After seeing his troops butchered at Sidi Bou Zid in the lead-up to the battle of Kasserine Pass, Fury has a run-in with Stephen Barkhorn, a German lieutenant-general, who, seeing the broken Fury, advises him that the only way to be good at war is to "learn to enjoy it". Fury soon falls in with a group of irregular SAS soldiers, led by a Captain Kynaston, fighting in the deserts behind German lines. Contrasting the meat grinder at Sidi Bou Zid with the efficiency of Captain Kynaston's unit, Fury learns to truly enjoy war by fighting intelligently.

The brave sailor Sinbad and his loyal servant Habeeb find themselves aboard the ship of Captain Aziz, a trip for which Sinbad had spent all of his father's fortune. They crew spot an uncharted island, which Sinbad encourages the Captain to approach, hoping that it holds untold riches. Sinbad, Habeeb and two other sailors take a rowboat to the island, which has a strange appearance: it is flat and bare, with no grass, trees or sand. The island shakes violently, and the two sailors return to Captain Aziz's ship, leaving Sinbad and Habeeb behind. The island reveals itself to be the fin of a gigantic sea monster, which swims away. Captain Aziz's ship leaves as well, leaving Sinbad and Habeeb stranded in the middle of the ocean.

In the morning, Sinbad and his servant find that they have been carried to a strange island. They find water, nourishment and horses, which means that there should be people on the island. Sinbad and Habeeb find two foreign-dressed men, who are the sons of King Jamaal of the island of Salabat. These men welcome Sinbad and Habeeb, and lead them to their father's palace. King Jamaal welcomes Sinbad and Habeeb to his palace and, enchanted by the tales of Sinbad's many adventures, asks Sinbad to marry his daughter Nefia. Sinbad accepts, but unwillingly.

That night Sinbad reveals to Habeeb that he doesn't want to marry the King's daughter, and will leave the island in order to avoid fulfilling his promise. Captain Aziz's ship has come to the island, and Sinbad approaches the Captain, who is glad to see him and agrees to help him escape. Habeeb and Sinbad sneak out of the castle by hiding in crates that are to be delivered to Captain Aziz as supposed presents from King Jamal. Their ruse is successful, but after Captain Aziz leaves the island, they are attacked by King Jamal's ships. King Jamal captures Sinbad and Habeeb and leaves them on an island as their punishment.

Valentin and his squad of ''Mobilards'' are assigned to track down the infamous Bonnot Gang.

The opening titles explain that this film is based on a theory from an American literary researcher: "Hamlet is a woman!"

The prologue: Queen Gertrude of Denmark gives birth to a girl. When she hears that the king has been killed in a battle with Norway, she announces that she has given birth to a boy named Hamlet, as only males can inherent the crown. Then, to the queen's shock, the king comes back home alive. They decide they can't take back the queen's proclamation, and raise Hamlet as a boy.

Part one: the solitary Prince Hamlet grows up, and attends the University of Wittenberg. Hamlet, wistful, stares out the window at people socializing, and an intertitle describes the prince as having clipped wings. But Hamlet does make friends with Horatio, whom Hamlet is visibly attracted to, and Fortinbras from Norway.

Meanwhile, the king's brother Claudius kills the king with a venomous snake and inherits the crown.

Part two: Hamlet returns home and is outraged to find that Claudius and Gertrude aren't mourning Hamlet's father, but instead are celebrating their upcoming marriage. Hamlet talks to the groundskeeper who found the king's body, who reveals there was a snake from the castle dungeon nearby. Hamlet investigates the dungeon and finds Claudius's dagger. Hamlet decides to investigate further, and to feign madness so that Claudius won't consider the prince a threat. Acting mad, Hamlet carves a faux crown for Claudius, then makes it disappear with sleight of hand.

Part three: Horatio lies with his head on Hamlet's lap. Horatio reveals that he's attracted to the noblewoman Ophelia and Hamlet becomes jealous and decides to go woo Ophelia. Hamlet caresseses Ophelia and kisses her fingers and arm. Then, alone, Hamlet says: "Now, Horatio, you are mine".

Part four: Hamlet's antagonistic feelings towards Ophelia leak out: the prince brushes her off in person and writes a letter calling her a numbskull.

Hamlet's father urges the prince to avenge him in a dream. Hamlet doesn't have the will to kill, however, and instead considers suicide, before saying: "Too weak to kill, and too weak to take my own life!" To determine if Claudius is guilty, Hamlet has an acting troupe perform a play in which a king's brother kills a king. When the king stops the production, Hamlet is convinced, running to Claudius's room with a sword. But Hamlet finds Claudius praying, and decides not to kill him. Later, Hamlet visits the queen, and spots someone moving behind a curtain. Hamlet stabs and kills him, thinking it is Claudius, but it's Ophelia's father Polonius.

Part five: Claudius realizes Hamlet intended to kill him, and sends Hamlet to Norway with two companions to see Fortinbras. Claudius gives the companions a secret letter instructing Fortinbras to have Hamlet beheaded. Hamlet, however, discovers the note, and cleverly changes it. When, ultimately, Fortinbras reads the note and has Hamlet's shocked traveling companions dragged away to be beheaded, Hamlet smiles. Hamlet tells Fortinbras about Claudius's misdeeds and Fortinbras vows to help usurp Claudius.

Part six: Ophelia has gone mad after her father's death. She drowns herself, devastating her brother Laertes and Horatio. Later, Claudius is drinking merrily when, to his shock, Hamlet appears. Hamlet encourages the king and his companions to keep drinking, until they are in a drunken slumber. Hamlet sets fire to the room. Claudius wakes and fights with Hamlet. Hamlet escapes and leaves Claudius and his associates to die. When Gertrude discovers what happened, she conspires with Laertes to get revenge. She sets up a duel between the two, and poisons both Laertes's sword and a drink intended for Hamlet. During the duel, the queen accidentally drinks the poisoned drink. She calls out, and Hamlet turns. Laertes stabs Hamlet in the chest. Horatio goes to the prince and starts to unbutton Hamlet's top, but Hamlet stops him. Hamlet collapses in Horatio's arms, and dies. Horatio, caressing Hamlet, realizes Hamlet has breasts. "Only in death is your secret revealed!" and "Too late, my love, too late!" Horatio kisses Hamlet's lips and cries. Then, he covers Hamlet's body. Fortinbras arrives, and is saddened, describing Hamlet as having broken wings. His men bear Hamlet's body away.

Karl Sten is a young boy growing up on an industrial factory world called Vulcan. The organization ruling Vulcan is known as the Company. Citizens inside the corporate dominated society are stratified into Execs (leaders and politicians), Techs (technicians and skilled labor), and Migs or migrant unskilled workers. The Company recruited Sten's parents, Amos and Freed Sten, using false advertisement. To keep recruiting costs down, the company uses different techniques to keep the Migs on Vulcan.

After Sten's family is killed in an industrial cover-up initiated by Vulcan's CEO, Baron Thoresen, Sten rebels against the laws of Vulcan and escapes to live on his own in the background of the factory world. For several years he runs with the Delinqs, a band of young outlaws that have also rejected the ideals of The Company.

He saves an off-worlder, Ian Mahoney, from a security team that was tracking him. Mahoney is the head of Imperial Intelligence and is trying to gather information on a special project Baron Thoresen is running, called Project Bravo. Mahoney offers Sten and his gang a chance to leave Vulcan if they can get the information he needs.

Unfortunately, during the mission they are discovered and Sten is thought to be the only one who makes it back alive. True to his word, Ian takes Sten off of his home planet, but enlists him in the military to keep him safe. During Imperial Guards training, Sten proves to be a square peg for the traditional military, but perfect for the super secret CIA-type covert branch of intelligence that Ian heads, called Mantis, an offshoot of the Emperor's Intelligence group, Mercury Corp.

While in Mantis, Sten excels and becomes the head of Team 13, with Alex Kilgour, (who has a rather unreasonable distaste of the Clan Campbell) as his second in command. He is a heavy-worlder from New Edinburgh, a planet inhabited by humans originally from Scotland, and speaks in a heavy Scot's burr.

Eventually, The Eternal Emperor assigns Team 13 to bring down the government of Vulcan so the Baron's secret project can be unmasked. Team 13 accomplishes this by organizing a rebellion, which gets out of control and almost tears apart the factory world in a heated frenzy. Sten and Team 13 accomplish the job with sneakiness, judicious violence and a few well placed explosions. Sten confronts his parents' killer, Baron Thoreson, and kills him by ripping his heart out with his bare hands.

At the conclusion of the novel, while being dressed down for killing Thoresen against the emperor's orders, Ian promotes Sten to lieutenant. The Emperor had thought better of his order not to kill the baron but had not been able to get word to the team in the field.

A young boy named Aladdin lives a poor life with his mother. A shifty man named Hassim approaches Aladdin claiming to be his long lost uncle and persuades him to come on a journey promising riches. Once in the desert amid some ruins, Hassim performs an incantation to open a cave and Aladdin realizes that Hassim is not his uncle. Hassim only brought him here because he is the only one who can enter the cave interior. Aladdin reluctantly enters the cave and finds what Hassim was looking for: an old lamp. Fearing that Hassim will kill him after he gets what he wants, Aladdin refuses to hand over the lamp and Hassim closes the cave trapping Aladdin. Unwittingly Aladdin rubs the lamp and releases a powerful genie who can grant any wish. Aladdin makes a wish to return to his home. After his safe return, Aladdin's mother disregards the lamp and Aladdin keeps it hidden and remains silent about it.

Four years later, Aladdin is captivated by the Sultan's daughter Layla and sneaks into the bathing house to see her. Aladdin escapes the guards and returns home to tell his mother his wish to marry the princess. Next day, Aladdin's mother presents a sack of jewels he obtained from the cave before the sultan. The sultan's conniving vizier (who has plans to marry the princess himself) convinces the sultan that his daughter is worth more than the jewels and that Aladdin should bring bigger riches and many servants. With the aid of the lamp, Aladdin accomplishes this. The sultan allows Aladdin to marry Layla and Aladdin has the genie build a palace by the city for the married couple to live in peacefully.

Hassim hears about Aladdin's success with the lamp from the medicine woman Fatima. Hassim travels to Aladdin's palace. With Aladdin out on a hunt, Hassim tricks Layla into swapping the genie's lamp for a new one and makes a wish for the palace and princess to be transported to Marrakesh. Hearing about his daughter's disappearance, the sultan has Aladdin arrested. Before Aladdin can be sentenced, Fatima (who did not get her end of the bargain with Hassim) approaches and reveals the whereabouts of Layla. With his mother in the sultan's custody and one month to put things right, Aladdin travels to Marrakesh, sneaks into his palace and swipes the lamp from a sleeping Hassim. With the lamp back in his possession, Aladdin wishes his wife and palace to be returned to his homeland.

Hassim notices Aladdin's liberation and swears revenge. He holds Fatima at knifepoint and steals her clothes to disguise himself as her, then beckons the princess to have Aladdin wish for the egg of the fabled Roc to bring them good luck. The genie is not able to grant this wish as the Roc is superior to him and reveals that Fatima is actually Hassim. Aladdin feigns illness to bring Hassim right where he wants him. Aladdin and Hassim duel, ending up with Hassim tripping on his robe and is accidentally impaled by his own sword, killing himself. Aladdin and the princess then live happily ever after without the fear of anyone stealing the lamp again.

The game opens with a cutscene that places the story in a fictional town called Elwood. While out for a skateboard ride, the unnamed hero is distracted by Icepick. This causes the hero to run over the mayor's wife's poodle. In retaliation, she has her husband ban skateboarding. Somehow, the solution to this is to meet the mayor's wife in a warehouse and assault her with a paintball gun.

Stage one takes place on the streets of Elwood. The player can meet up with Rodney and Lester to acquire new tricks and two new skateboards. He can also blast other skaters to pick up goodies, paintball clips, and throwing weapons. The stage ends when the player finds and defeats the mayor's wife in a showdown.

The second cut scene shows the aftermath of the showdown. The hero heads to the local half-pipe only to find it being demolished. He is confronted by a construction worker, who informs the hero that since the half-pipe was built without a permit, it must be torn down. When the hero asks what the town's skaters are supposed to do, the construction worker gruffly replies he should get a job so he can buy a building permit "or take up knitting."

Stage two takes place in a shopping mall. The hero has taken a job as a delivery boy to earn money for the new half-pipe. The player has a set amount of time to make each delivery in the two floor mall. If the hero makes his delivery on time, he receives a tip (more weapons or goodies). In addition to the other skaters, the hero has to deal with slow moving shoppers carrying stacks of boxes and a security guard.

After completing his deliveries and getting paid, the hero visits Rodney, who is finishing the blueprints for the new half-pipe. In an unfortunate accident, the hero turns on a fan instead of the lights. The blueprints fly out the window and are scattered over the beach.

This begins stage three. The hero must collect all the pages of the blueprint before they blow off the beach. While making his way past roller skaters, crabs, seagulls, and posing body builders, the hero can meet up with Lester and Rodney again to continue learning new tricks and buy new boards.

Once all the pages of the blueprint are recovered, CJ heads off the city hall with the money the hero earned in stage two. Fate once again conspires against the hero. After buying the building permit CJ is kidnapped by Icepick and his gang.

Stage four takes place in the abandoned warehouse Icepick and his gang call home. Unlike the other stages, the warehouse is a four floor maze of rooms instead of one long screen the player can move back and forth on. After finding the building permit, the hero makes his way to the rooftop where he defeats his nemesis.

With CJ rescued and the building permit found, the hero and his friends are able to build their new half-pipe, Double Trouble. The game ends with the player being able to use the ramp.

Rikky Menzies (Nina Landis) is an out-of-work geologist and aspiring singer (vocals by Wendy Matthews). Her brother Pete Menzies (Stephen Kearney) is a misfit inventor. To find peace of mind and escape the ire of Police Sergeant Whitstead (Bill Hunter), they travel the outback of Australia until they reach the desert mining town of Mount Isa and its own zany individualists.

Every episode of the series focuses on a different individual animal, who is unique in personality. The entire episode rhymes.

The story follows a girl named Jessica (Lara Flynn Boyle) and her attempt to get into Ramsey College, a small college in Pennsylvania, and Marlon (Corey Parker), a boy who tries to get into Ramsey to pursue Jessica, whom he is in love with.

After Deep Space Nine is attacked by a group of Jem'Hadar, Captain Sisko and his crew pursue them into the Gamma Quadrant aboard the ''Defiant''. They find a disabled Jem'Hadar warship transmitting a distress signal and rescue the survivors: six Jem'Hadar soldiers and Weyoun, their Vorta master.

Weyoun tells Sisko that the Jem'Hadar who attacked Deep Space Nine are renegades who have turned against the Dominion and are trying to restore an ancient Iconian Gateway—a sophisticated transporter that would give them the power to go anywhere in the galaxy instantaneously. Sisko agrees to join forces with Weyoun to destroy the Gateway before the renegade Jem'Hadar can use it. The ''Defiant'' crew forms an uneasy alliance with Weyoun and his Jem'Hadar, led by Omet'iklan. It soon becomes clear that Weyoun and Omet'iklan hold each other in contempt.

The ''Defiant'' crew try to learn to fight alongside the Jem'Hadar, who do not fear death or value their own lives. Their alliance is tested when Toman'torax, the Jem'Hadar second-in-command, picks a fight with Lieutenant Commander Worf. After breaking up the fight, Sisko and Omet'iklan discipline their men for brawling: Omet'iklan executes Toman'torax on the spot, while Sisko confines Worf to quarters. Omet'iklan is disgusted by what he perceives as lax discipline, and warns Sisko he will kill him when the mission is over. Meanwhile, Weyoun attempts to convince Odo, a renegade Changeling who opposes the Dominion, to rejoin the Dominion's Founders, whom the Vorta and Jem'Hadar alike revere as gods.

When they arrive on the planet where the Gateway is located, they find that the presence of the Gateway disables their phasers. They are attacked by a team of renegade Jem'Hadar. After a short but vicious battle, the group makes its way to the Gateway, engaging in sword and hand-to-hand combat all the way. In the fighting, Sisko saves Omet'iklan's life while risking his own; Omet'iklan does not understand why Sisko would save his life.

They destroy the Gateway with an explosive, which allows their weapons to function again. Omet'iklan kills Weyoun for questioning the Jem'Hadar's loyalty to the Founders. He compliments Sisko for the way they fought together, but reminds him that the next time they meet, they will be enemies again. Omet'iklan and his soldiers stay behind to hunt down the remaining Jem'Hadar for their disloyalty.

While surveying a telegraph line in 1861, Western Union engineer Edward Creighton is severely injured in an accident. He is discovered by Vance Shaw, an outlaw on the run from a posse. Forced to travel on foot after his horse was hurt, Shaw at first considers stealing Creighton's horse, but changes his mind and takes the man with him, saving his life.

Sometime later, following his recovery, Creighton returns to Omaha, Nebraska and plans the construction of a telegraph line from Omaha to Salt Lake City, Utah. Facing considerable opposition to the line from Confederate soldiers, Indians, and outlaws, Creighton elicits the help of his sister Sue, foreman Pat Grogan, and assistant Homer Kettle.

Looking to put his outlaw past behind him, Shaw arrives at Creighton's Western Union office looking for honest work and is hired as a scout by Grogan who is unaware of his past. Creighton recognizes him among the men and allows him to stay despite his suspicions. Creighton also hires tenderfoot Richard Blake, a Harvard-educated engineer, as a favor to Blake's father. Shaw and Blake are both attracted to Sue and vie for her attention, but their romantic rivalry is cut short when construction of the telegraph line starts on July 4, 1861.

After work commences on the line, one of the men is killed, apparently by a mysterious band of cattle-rustling Indians. Unconvinced that Indians are to blame, Shaw rides out to investigate and follows the rustlers' trail to the camp of Jack Slade, a former friend and cohort, whose gang committed the killing disguised as Indians—the gang Shaw left following his last bank robbery. Slade reveals that they are working for the Confederacy to disrupt Western Union because they believe the telegraph service will help the Union. Shaw rides away and returns to the line. Not wanting to turn in his former friends, Shaw tells Creighton that a large band of Dakota Indians stole the cattle, and recommends that they simply replace the herd and not risk a fight with the Indians.

Sometime later, a confrontation takes place between men working on the forward line and a band of drunken Indians. When one of the Indians tries to steal some equipment, a nervous Blake shoots him, ignoring Shaw's order to remain calm. After word arrives that the main camp is under attack by other Indians, the Western Union men rush back to help with the defense. At the main camp, Slade's men, who are again disguised as Indians, steal the Western Union horses. The company discover the ruse when one of the wounded Indians turns out to be a white man. Forced to buy back their stolen horses from Slade, Creighton becomes suspicious of Shaw's involvement, especially when he admits to knowing the gang.

Soon the U.S. Army arrives and announces the Indians have now refused to allow the telegraph lines to go through their territory in response to Blake's shooting of the drunken Indian. Creighton, Shaw, and Blake ride out to convince Chief Spotted Horse to allow them to build the line through Indian territory, even though the man Blake wounded was Spotted Horse's son. Creighton is finally able to persuade the Indians to allow them passage, and work continues until the company approaches Salt Lake City.

Sometime later, Shaw receives word that Jack Slade wants to meet with him. On the way to see Slade, Shaw is captured and bound by Slade's men. Slade says his group is going to burn down the Western Union camp and they don't want Shaw to interfere. After Slade and his men ride off, Shaw escapes from his ropes (using the smoldering embers of Slade's campfire),but returns too late to prevent the fire. He helps rescue some of the Western Union men from the flames and burns his hands in the process (or so he lets everyone believe as he burnt them in the campfire).

After the fire, Creighton confronts Shaw for an explanation, but Shaw does not reveal what he knows and is fired by Creighton. As Shaw leaves the camp, he tells Blake that Slade is actually Shaw's brother and that he, Shaw, will find Slade's gang and stop them from interfering with the telegraph project. Shaw rides off and finds Slade and his men in a nearby town. At the barber shop, Shaw confronts his brother, whose gun is concealed under the barber's sheet. Slade shoots Shaw through the sheet. Shaw fights back in spite of his wound, killing some of the gang members, and then dies. Blake arrives and continues the fight with Slade who dies from his wounds. Soon after, the Western Union line is completed and the workers celebrate. When Sue laments the absence of Shaw, Creighton tells her that Shaw can hear them.

''It's My Party'' chronicles a two-day party hosted by Nick Stark (Eric Roberts) a gay architect who, having been diagnosed with progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, will fall into a state of mental lapse lasting for months until his death. He decides to host a party for his family and friends, at the end of which he will commit suicide by taking Seconal.

"You won't leave me, will you?" Nick asks his estranged lover, Brandon Theis (Gregory Harrison) a B movie director, shortly after revealing to him the results of his last blood test for HIV. "I don't want to die alone." In spite of Brandon's protestations, the two soon find the love they had shared for many years in ruins. One year after their breakup, Nick is confronted with a ravaged immune system and a CT Scan and lab values which, along with his worsening forgetfulness, clinches the diagnosis of Progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) -- a condition he has seen claim his friends and one which he vows will not take him. Due to the aggressive nature of the disease, he has only a few days of conscious life remaining. His plan, he announces to family and "extended family," is to voluntarily end his life himself before the disease renders him unrecognizable to those he loves and he, in turn, is unable to recognize them. Uninvited to the farewell party, Brandon's presence is greeted with jeers from those who see him as having abandoned Nick in his time of greatest need.

The book centers on the comparatively normal Lenore Beadsman, a 24-year-old telephone switchboard operator who gets caught in the middle of a Cleveland-based character drama. In Wallace's typically offbeat style, Lenore navigates three separate crises: her great-grandmother's escape from a nursing home, a neurotic boyfriend, and a suddenly vocal pet cockatiel. The controlling idea surrounding all of these crises is the use of words and symbols to define a person. To illustrate this idea, Wallace uses different formats to build the story, including transcripts from television recordings and therapy sessions, as well as an accompanying fictional account written by one of the main characters, Rick Vigorous.

The manager of the nursing home, David Bloemker, repeatedly expresses himself in an overly elaborate style, only to have to reduce his own locutions to a much simpler form. For example, he tells Lenore that if they find her great-grandmother (also named Lenore), they will likely also find the other missing residents of the facility. Why? Because, she "enjoyed a status here — with the facility administration, the staff, and, through the force of her personality and her evident gifts, especially with the other residents [such that] it would not be improper to posit the location and retrieval of Lenore as near assurance of retrieving the other misplaced parties." The younger Lenore says that she doesn't understand all of that. Bloemker tries again: "Your great-grandmother was more or less the ringleader around here." This contrast of baroque with simple speech is employed to comic effect, as well as to advance the more serious contemplation of language at the heart of the plot.

Major characters

Many secondary characters are not included here.

• '''Lenore Beadsman''': The story's protagonist.
• '''Rick Vigorous''': Lenore's boyfriend, co-owner of the publishing house ''Frequent & Vigorous''
• '''Patrice LaVache Beadsman''': Married to Stonecipher Beadsman III, with whom she has four children: John, Clarice, Lenore, and Stonecipher.
• '''Norman Bombardini''': Owner of the ''Bombardini Building'' and the ''Bombardini Company''. He believes that he can encompass the entire universe by eating obscene quantities of food, and then everything else. He becomes infatuated with Lenore.
• '''Stonecipher Beadsman III''': Married to Patrice Beadsman, with whom he has four children: John, Clarice, Lenore, and Stonecipher. He is in charge of the company ''Stonecipheco''.
• '''Vlad the Impaler''', later '''Ugolino the Significant''': Vlad is a cockatiel, and was a gift to Lenore Beadsman from Rick Vigorous. Vlad began frequently repeating phrases he heard others say, possibly after being given either an experimental baby food or LSD.
• '''David Bloemker''': The director of The Shaker Heights Home when residents and staff go missing.
• '''Melinda Susan Metalman Lang''', or '''Mindy Metalman''', or '''Melinda-Sue''': Childhood neighbour of Rick Vigorous. She was roommates with Clarice Beadsman at Mount Holyoke College where she met her husband, Andrew Lang.
• '''Andrew Sealander Lang''', '''Wang-Dang Lang''', '''W.D.L.''', or '''Andy''': Married to Mindy Metalman.

The story follows a man named Mr. Brown, who can make a wide variety of sounds, imitating the sounds of animals and inanimate objects. The narrator recites a list of items and animals that Mr. Brown can sound like, each one accompanied by illustrations of the object and an onomatopoeia, which replicates the sound he can make. Mr. Brown can make the "moo" of a cow, the "buzz" of a bee, the "pop" of a cork (on a bottle of grape wine), the "klopp klopp" of a horse's hooves, the "cock a doodle doo" of a rooster, the "hoo hoo" of an owl, the "dibble dibble dibble dopp" of rain, the "tick tock" of a clock, the "knock knock" of a hand against a door, the "boom" of thunder, the "grum grum" of a hippo chewing gum, the "slurp slurp" of a cat drinking, the "splatt" of lightning, the "choo choo" of a train, the "sizzle sizzle" of an egg in a frying pan, the "blurp blurp" of a horn, the "pip" of a goldfish kiss, the "eek eek" like a shoe, and the "whisper" of a butterfly. The narrator concludes the list by suggesting that the reader try to make these same sounds, and the last pages of text feature a list of all the onomatopoeias featured in the book.

At a Los Angeles coffee house called the Jabberjaw, several performance artists vie for the attention of Generation X hipsters, including Maxwell (Shadoe Stevens), a poet who declares that "life is nothing but a homeless traveler on the RTD of art", Mayolia (Sheila Travis), who performs monologues holding a toy monkey, Cuff and Link (Victor Wilson and Patrick Bristow), a pair of sarcastic photographers who intentionally run over animals and photograph the road kill, and "Stupid Girl" (Jennifer Coolidge), who strips nude on stage while playing cello. Other regular attendants at the cafe include an older rich couple (Paul Bartel and Mink Stole) looking for art by new talent, and Lou (Kin Shriner), an undercover cop trying to bust heroin dealers operating in the cafe.

Working for Leonard (Sam Lloyd) are busboy Walter (Anthony Michael Hall) and Italian hostess Carla (Justine Bateman). To impress Carla, who he has a crush on, Walter tries to produce a clay sculpture of her face, but is unsuccessful due to his lack of talent. He hears his landlady's cat Frankie in the wall, discovering that the animal had been mistakenly plastered into the wall, and attempts to cut it out with a knife, but accidentally kills it. The next morning, Walter decides to cover up the dead animal with plaster and presents it as a "thing I made" called Dead Cat. The regulars and other artists love the "sculpture", and Mayolia gives Walter a necklace containing a nickel bag of heroin, leading Lou to follow Walter back to his apartment and confront him about it, which ends with Walter killing Lou with his frying pan, later deciding to hide the body in plaster and call it "Murdered Man". Leonard, having discovered the dead animal in Walter's first "statue", initially tries to call the police upon hearing about "Murdered Man", but covers up the murder when a customer offers Leonard a large amount of money for "Dead Cat". At a party for Walter, Alice (Darcy DeMoss), who had not been aware of Walter's popularity, insults him, but agrees to pose for his nude statue. At his apartment, Alice taunts Walter, suggesting he is a virgin, and he strangles her to death.

Walter reveals his true feelings for Carla at an art show, only for her to tell him that she doesn't love him, and he immediately asks her to model for him. However, she discovers Walter's dark nature when she finds Alice's body in the nude "sculpture", and runs away from Walter upon learning that he plans to murder her next. Once art critics begin commenting on the "brilliance" of a "creation within a creation", Lou's police partner breaks apart the "statues", revealing the corpses. The officer, along with Walter's friends, run after Walter and Carla, realizing that the artist is a murderer, and, realizing that he is about to be caught, Walter mixes a new batch of plaster, and the cop breaks down the door, revealing to the group that Walter has spattered his body with plaster and hanged himself. The experience leaves Carla mute, Leonard to burn down the Jabberjaw for insurance money and Maxwell to unsuccessfully imitate Walter's "suicide art", dying in the process. Cuff and Link, who always criticized Walter's art and accused him of fraud, finally become successful artists themselves, and live together as roommates, while Mayolia becomes the host of a successful children's television show.

The Sheriff of Nottingham plans to confiscate the estate of the Lord of Bawtry, a nobleman who has died on Crusade. The Archbishop of Canterbury, speaks against this plan and the Sheriff plots to eliminate him. Robin Hood is asked to undertake the assassination of the Archbishop for the plotters, led by the Earl of Newark and Lord Melton, but on realising who the intended target is, resolves to help the Archbishop instead.

Maid Marian also wants to meet the Archbishop so she can grant freedom to the family of a man murdered by the Sheriff's men, and she is also keen to meet Robin again who she met when she thought he was a common outlaw, but now realises he is on the side of good.

The film opens with a passage, which states:

''This film is based on a recently discovered manuscript by one William Cobbler, which reveals that Henry VIII did in fact have two more wives. Although it was first thought that Cromwell originated the story, it is now known to be definitely all Cobbler's... from beginning to end.''

Henry VIII (Sid James) has his wife (Patsy Rowlands) beheaded and quickly marries Marie of Normandy (Joan Sims). This union was organised at the behest of bumbling Cardinal Wolsey (Terry Scott) as Marie is cousin of King Francis I of France. Henry's wedding night ardour dies when he finds she reeks of garlic, but she refuses to stop eating it. Marie gets frustrated so soon receives amorous advances from Sir Roger de Lodgerley (Charles Hawtrey who, while still in his camp persona, is playing against type as a ladies' man).

Henry is keen to be rid of Marie, as he has met the lovely Bettina (Barbara Windsor, in her favourite ''Carry On'' role). Bettina is the daughter of the Earl of Bristol (Peter Butterworth, in a one scene cameo), a punning reference to Bristols. Thomas Cromwell (Kenneth Williams) assists in ousting Marie by organising Lord Hampton of Wick (Kenneth Connor) to kidnap the King in a staged plot. Cromwell and Lord Hampton also secretly plot to bring the king to harm as part of this escapade, but the false kidnapping fails.

Henry seizes on Marie's infidelity with de Lodgerley to be free of her; all he needs is a confession from de Lodgerley. He orders Cromwell to extract a confession using any means necessary. This leads to a running joke in the torture chamber as Henry keeps changing his mind about the confession due to political necessities, requiring multiple changes and retractions of the original confession. Wolsey is baffled by all the intrigue, and Cromwell is driven to treason by all of Henry's unreasonable demands.

Howard Hallenbeck travels to Ireland to research items of religious significance. He goes to a rural church to photograph some graves. During a thunderstorm, lightning strikes a stone column in a field. The monster Rawhead Rex rises from the dirt.

Howard meets Declan O'Brien, who directs him to Reverend Coot. The curious O'Brien approaches the altar and places his hand on it. Images flash before his eyes. This experience destroys O'Brien's sanity. Howard inquires about the church's parish records. Coot says he can arrange to have Howard look at them, but finds they have been stolen. O'Brien destroys his camera.

A man arrives at the home of locals Dennis and Jenny. He discovers a traumatized Jenny. Police arrive. Rawhead drags Dennis's dead body through the forest and comes upon a trailer park. There he kills a teenager named Andy Johnson.

On the road again, Howard pulls over to let his daughter urinate by a tree. Hearing her scream, Howard and his wife rush to her; Howard's son stays in the van, alone. Rawhead kills Howard's son and takes the body into the woods. Infuriated by the police's unsuccessful efforts to track down Rawhead, Howard returns to the church. He discovers that there is a weapon shown in the stained glass window that can be used to defeat the monster. After Howard leaves, Coot curiously touches the altar but resists the temptations and images it shows him.

Rawhead arrives at the church to "baptize" O'Brien by urinating on him. A bewildered Coot goes outside to investigate the noise and sees Rawhead. Horrified, Coot flees inside the church and into the basement while Rawhead destroys everything inside. Coot finds the missing parish records, showing what appears to be some kind of blueprint of Rawhead. O'Brien catches Coot and forces him upstairs to be sacrificed to Rawhead. The police arrive at the church, but hesitate to open fire on Rawhead because he is carrying Coot. The brainwashed inspector dumps gasoline around the police cars and ignites it as they begin to shoot at Rawhead, killing all the police, including himself.

Howard leaves his wife and daughter and goes back to the church, where a dying Coot tells him that Rawhead is afraid of something in the altar. Howard goes inside. O'Brien is burning books and is overpowered by Howard. Howard, by using a candle stick, opens the altar and gets to the weapon. O'Brien retreats to Rawhead to tell him. Howard tries to use the weapon, but it has no effect. In anger, Rawhead kills O'Brien by tearing out his throat.

As Rawhead tries to kill Howard, Howard's wife picks up the weapon. A ray of light comes out of the weapon and hits Rawhead, stopping Rawhead from killing Howard. Howard realizes that the weapon works only when wielded by a woman. The form of a woman appears from the stone and shoots electric rays through the stones and into Rawhead's body, knocking him to the ground. After more blasts, Rawhead is drained, allowing Howard to hit him with a shovel. Rawhead then falls through the ground and Howard's wife drops the weapon in with him. Rawhead is smashed under giant stones. Both Howard and his wife weep in light of it being over.

The boy from the trailer park places flowers on Andy Johnson's grave. As he walks away, Rawhead emerges from the ground and roars.

The task of the player as the game progresses, is to begin in the service of the Klingon Empire, uncovering more and more of the plot line. This plot will take the player into the service of the Romulan Empire next, and then the Federation.

'''Klingon Empire''' - The player starts out as a young Klingon captain from a powerful House, going on errand missions, eventually escorting a convoy to a new Federation-Klingon station, Unity One. When treachery that hits very close to home is exposed, the player must prevent the destruction of Unity One and restore honor to their House.

'''Romulan Star Empire''' - Picking up where the Klingon campaign left off, the player assumes the role of a young Romulan captain under the wing of an admiral from the Tal Shiar intelligence agency, eventually joining in efforts to bring down Unity One and drive a wedge between the Federation and the Klingons. Using stolen Federation technology, the player helps to sow the seeds of chaos among the Federation and the Klingons, before finally assisting in the destruction of Unity One.

'''United Federation of Planets''' - With Unity One destroyed, and the Federation and the Klingon Empire on the verge of war, the player assumes the role of a young Starfleet captain who is recruited by Captain Jean-Luc Picard to assist in the investigation of the Unity One disaster, and bring those responsible to justice. When it becomes clear that the Romulans are responsible, the player undertakes several missions at the behest of, and occasionally assisting, Picard to eliminate the threat posed by the Tal Shiar. Eventually, the mastermind of the plot is apprehended, and the status quo between the three powers restored.

The Borg Collective was the fourth and final playable race, but their campaign had to be downloaded from the Activision website, and was unrelated to the main story campaign.

T.J. Burke tires of his auto assembly worker job in Detroit, quits, and convinces his friend Dexter Rutecki to move with him to Aspen. After succeeding in the new instructor tryouts for the Aspen Ski School, they both become ski instructors, although T.J. secretly intercedes on Dexter's behalf. While T.J. advances to become the most popular instructor of the school during the season, he has to constantly watch out for Dexter, whose social skills are less honed and whose future is less bright. Along the way, they meet the young local radio DJ (Robin Teri Polo) as well as a rich cougar-ish woman (Bryce Finola Hughes) who selects the most desirable new instructor each year for her latest plaything.

After watching the famous Aspen Powder 8 competition, T.J. and Dexter agree to team up to try to win the next season's award. While skiing out of bounds, T.J. falls into a large sinkhole in the snow, plunging many feet into a stream. Dexter rescues him, and because skiing out of bounds would get them fired, takes him to Robin's house so she can patch him up without notifying the ski school director.

Somewhat later, after losing control of a school client (a poor skier who ends up sliding out of control into downtown Aspen), Dexter is suspended from the school and eventually links up with the wrong crowd, including Tina, a beautiful girl with a mysterious background. Hard up for cash, Dexter reluctantly accepts an offer to act as a drug courier. When he gets spooked and dumps the drugs, he is assaulted in retribution and left to freeze outdoors in the Aspen winter. Again, T.J. rescues him by paying off the drug guys, with money borrowed from Bryce. T.J. then moves out from the house he shared with Dexter, and in with Bryce, who purchased his companionship with the loan.

After spending some interminable and unsatisfying time with Bryce, T.J. and Dexter awkwardly rekindle their friendship and reset their goal to win the Powder 8 competition. T.J. and Dexter decide to ski out of bounds in order to train for the upcoming event. While skiing outside the boundaries of Aspen, T.J. and Dexter set off an avalanche. Dexter suffers a tragic demise, while T.J. escapes with minor injuries. Later, in deep depression, T.J. comes to realize how his relationship with Bryce had no particular meaning, and writes of his and Dexter's friendship. The article is published in a major ski magazine, finally providing T.J. with some satisfaction for his writing efforts after many prior rejections. His friendship with Robin also reawakens, as they both mourn Dexter's loss.

T.J. is sought out by a newly hired young ski instructor to be his partner in the Powder-8. They win the competition, beating T.J.'s nemesis throughout the movie. The victory is bittersweet, as he remembers the dream that he and Dexter had of winning the Powder-8, and in the end, he and Robin reconcile as he finally reveals that he loves her.

The book opens at Amelia's favorite hotel, Shepheard's in Cairo, where her family reunites after a summer in various locations. The Emersons' son Ramses (now aged sixteen) and their adopted son David have been living in Egypt for six months, and their ward Nefret has been studying anatomy with Louisa Aldrich-Blake at the London School of Medicine for Women.

The Emersons receive a dire warning about staying away from an undiscovered tomb, which of course inspires them to hunt all the harder for it. Meanwhile, a silly American debutante insists she needs protection from a stalker (selecting Ramses for the job), and a mummy swathed in modern clothing begins to lend verisimilitude to her otherwise unconvincing narrative.

The characters of Donald and Enid Fraser from ''Lion in the Valley'' reappear in this novel. They are in Cairo, accompanied by a woman who claims to have communicated with an ancient Egyptian princess and unwittingly triggered Donald's obsession with finding the princess's tomb. The American Cyrus Vandergelt is another character who reappears from an earlier novel.

This volume marks the death of the cat Bastet and the first whiskey Ramses is permitted to imbibe (although the two events are not directly related).

The device of "Manuscript H" is used for the first time in this book to give a voice to Ramses, through whom the romantic and adventurous elements of the series are able to continue as his parents begin to age.

In the course of the mystery, Amelia discovers that her old admirer and adversary, Sethos (the "master criminal") is not dead, as was thought to be the case earlier in the series.

A charcoal burner becomes a parson by means of various tricks.

Unintentionally he detects some thieves in the king's castle, gains a prophetic reputation in the church, passes a test set by the king, and predicts the queen's having twins. [http://oaks.nvg.org/lg4ra7.html]

Agent Pearson is the newest member of the COI, and is somewhat dejected to find the job not as glamorous as he was initially told. After being given a case where a local munitions manufacturer was invited to join the Brotherhood of Thule, an American branch of the Thule society, Pearson is puzzled by the apparent connections with Nazi occultism. Along the way he encounters Agent Winslow, apparently a bumbling Federal agent who is more concerned with his press appearance than solving cases.

After making a connection between the Brotherhood of Thule and the Cleveland torso murders, Pearson leads a local detective to the butchers lair after finding bizarre Gaelic documents left by his predecessor regarding a ritual involving Odin and a gemstone called the Black Dahlia, which is a key instrument that can render a ritual user the ability to control dreams.

Years later, Pearson is a member of the OSI, and recovers the Dahlia from a Nazi bunker, but it is quickly snatched away and then sold on the black market by a corrupt quartermaster. Following the Dahlia, Pearson again encounters Winslow, a Nazi SS operative following the final orders of Hitler to perform the Dahlia ritual.

Pearson pursues Winslow across the US, finally cornering him in a California home, where Winslow has just completed the final ritual murders regarding the Dahlia. After tearing out his own eye and performing the remainder of the ritual, the player has one choice with his pistol. If he shoots Winslow or hesitates, Winslow stabs himself, and possesses Pearson, becoming an American version of Hitler, and able to control large portions of the populace through their dreams. If Pearson destroys the Dahlia, Winslow dies and Pearson is blamed for the locals spree of killings, though he is overjoyed and content with having stopped the Nazi plot to take over the world.

In 1984, 33 years after the events depicted in ''The Last Picture Show'', 50-year-old Duane Jackson (Bridges) is a wealthy tycoon of a near-bankrupt oil company. His relationship with his family is not prospering. His wife, Karla (Annie Potts), believes that Duane is cheating on her, and his son, Dickie (William McNamara), seems to be following in his father's libidinous footsteps.

Ruth Popper (Cloris Leachman) works as Duane's secretary, and despondent Lester Marlow (Quaid), now a businessman, seems a prime candidate for a business crisis, a heart attack, or both.

Sonny Crawford's (Bottoms) increasingly erratic behaviour causes Duane concern over Sonny's mental health.

Jacy Farrow (Shepherd) has travelled the world and experienced its pleasures. A painful tragedy brings her back to her hometown and once again into Duane's life.

Odo suddenly collapses, having difficulty maintaining his form, and is taken to the infirmary. Dr. Bashir cannot find an explanation for Odo's condition, but advises him to take a rest from his duties. Odo is reluctant to do so, but when he leaves the infirmary to investigate a crime, he collapses into a puddle on the floor.

Odo knows that the only people that can help him are his own people, the Founders of the Dominion. Captain Sisko agrees to take Odo to the Gamma Quadrant aboard the ''Defiant''; the Cardassian spy-turned-tailor Elim Garak asks to come along as well. They are met by a spokesperson for the Founders, who tells Odo that the only way he can be cured is by physically joining the Founders in the Great Link, where he will be judged for the crime of being the first Changeling to harm another. Odo surmises that the Founders themselves must have infected him in order to coerce him into returning to the Great Link. A squad of the Dominion's Jem'Hadar soldiers accompanies the group aboard the ''Defiant'', navigating to the Founders' planet and erasing all records of the journey from the ship's computer.

Garak asks the Founder if there are any Cardassian survivors from the failed Cardassian–Romulan attack on the Founders' homeworld a year earlier. She bluntly replies that there were no survivors and that Cardassia is doomed. Later, Garak attempts to fire the ship's weapons on the Founders' planet and annihilate the Changelings, but Commander Worf catches him and stops him.

Sisko and Bashir accompany the Founder and Odo to the planet and see the Great Link: a sea of Changelings in their liquid form. Odo and the Founders' spokesperson walk into the sea, leaving Bashir and Sisko to wait for them. Eventually, Odo is expelled from the Great Link; Bashir notes in astonishment that Odo's body has become human. The Founders' spokesperson explains that this is Odo's punishment.

After they return to the station, a message from Gowron, leader of the Klingon Empire, is received, declaring the initiation of hostilities against the Federation. Watching the message, Odo reveals that he felt that the Founders were trying to hide information from him while he was in the Great Link, but now he thinks he knows what it was: Gowron himself has been replaced by a Changeling.

The story concerns a visit by an antique collector, Johnson Spangler, to the Samuel Claggert Museum in his attempt to buy the legendary Delver's Mirror. The museum curator, Mr. Carlin, ushers Spangler through the building, recounting the history of this rare Elizabethan mirror, which has been plagued by incidents of attempted destruction. The museum curator also explains the infamous history of the mirror, recounting all the people who have looked into the mirror had mysteriously disappeared.

Carlin tells a skeptical Spangler that an image of the Grim Reaper is rumored to appear in the mirror, standing close to the viewer. Spangler scoffs, but feels unnatural horror when he looks into the mirror and claims to see some duct tape in the mirror's corner. He angrily confronts Carlin, who claimed the mirror was undamaged. Carlin claims however that there is no duct tape, and that Spangler is "seeing the reaper." When Spangler runs his hand over the "duct tape", he feels a smooth surface rather than the rough outside of the tape. When Spangler looks again, the duct tape is gone. As Carlin relates the history of a high school boy who saw the Reaper and disappeared without a trace, Spangler becomes ill and rushes out of the second floor. Mr. Carlin remains behind to wait... and wait.

The Parched Sea is another name for the desert ''Anauroch'' in which the novel takes place.

The Zhentarim, determined to drive a trade route through Anauroch, send an army to enslave the nomads of the Great Desert. Ruha, an outcast witch, tries to gain the trust of the Sheikh as tribe after tribe fall to the Zhentarim. The Harpers send an agent to counter the Zhentarim, and Ruha helps this stranger win the Sheikh's trust, so that he can overcome the tribes' ancestral rivalries and drive the invaders from the desert.

Twenty-six-year-old Ethan lives with roommate Charlotte in a house owned by his ex-boyfriend Leo in West Hollywood. Ethan has been dating former pro baseball player-turned-autobiographer Kyle Underhill for several months, so when Leo announces he plans to sell the house, Ethan starts dropping hints to Kyle that they should live together. Inexplicably, when Kyle actually asks him to move in, Ethan breaks up with him.

Ethan hooks up with a younger man, Punch, who works in a real estate office. Together they conspire to delay the sale of Leo's house by convincing him to sign with the world's worst realtor, the terminally depressed Sunny Deal. However, Charlotte ends up sleeping with Sunny which knocks her out of her depression and motivates her to make the sale.

Meanwhile, after a nostalgic one-night stand, Ethan has decided he wants to get back together with Leo. Unfortunately, Leo has gotten engaged to a controlling and even emotionally abusive gay Republican Chester Baer and Ethan's event planner mother has agreed to plan their commitment ceremony.

In an odd moment, Leo, Punch and Kyle end up in a torrid threesome in Ethan's bedroom. Punch decides that Ethan isn't mature enough for him and dumps him. Kyle, who'd been considering taking Ethan back, abruptly changes his mind. Chester forgives Leo and they go ahead with their plans. The house sells, Charlotte and Sunny move in together and Ethan signs a lease at a local retirement community.

Ethan crashes the commitment ceremony but only to give Leo his silent blessing. However, at the altar, Leo has an anxiety attack and has to be taken away in an ambulance. A few days later Ethan settles in at the retirement community and the screen fades to black with the words "The End".

The screen then fades back up on Leo talking with a lady retiree. As Ethan stands nearby, Leo tells her that he gave Chester his ring back and broke up with him. Leo has realized that he still loves Ethan. He and Ethan reconcile and the film ends as they kiss.

The story takes place at the time of Iran's occupation by the Allied forces during the Second World War. Most of the plot occurs in the narrator's home, a huge early 20th-century-style Iranian mansion in which three wealthy families live under the tyranny of a paranoid patriarch, Uncle. The Uncle—who in reality is a retired low-level officer from the Persian Cossack Brigade under Colonel Vladimir Liakhov's command—claims, and in latter stages of the story actually believes, that he and his butler Mash Qasem were involved in wars against the British and their "lackeys", as well as battles supporting the Iranian Constitutional Revolution; and that with the occupation of Iran by the Allied forces, the British are now on course to take their revenge on him. The story's narrator (nameless in the novel but called Saeed in the TV series) is a high school student in love with his cousin Layli, Dear Uncle's daughter.

The novel, at its core a love story, unfolds around the narrator's struggles to stall Layli's pre-arranged marriage to her cousin Puri and ensure their love, a love which is constantly jeopardised by an army of family members and the mayhem of their intrigues against one another. A multitude of supporting characters, including police investigators, government officials, Indians, housewives, a medical doctor, a butcher, a sycophantic preacher, servants, and a shoeshine man also appear throughout the development of the story.

In seventeenth century New England, the witch Mother Rigby builds a scarecrow to protect her garden. She is so taken with her own handiwork that she whimsically decides to bring the scarecrow to life and send it into town to woo Polly Gookin, the daughter of Judge Gookin, with whom Mother Rigby had unspecified prior dealings. Once the stuffed man does come alive, Mother Rigby gives him the appearance of a normal human being and provides a pipe, on which the scarecrow must puff to keep himself alive.

Judge Gookin meets the scarecrow, whom Mother Rigby has named Feathertop. Feathertop is introduced to Polly, and the two begin to fall in love. But when Polly and Feathertop gaze into a bewitched mirror, they see Feathertop reflected as a scarecrow, not as a man. Polly faints, and the now-terrified and anguished scarecrow rushes back to Mother Rigby, where, knowing himself for what he really is, he deliberately throws away his pipe and collapses in a lifeless heap. Mother Rigby reflects, "There are thousands upon thousands of coxcombs and charlatans in the world, made up of just such a jumble of wornout, forgotten, and good-for-nothing trash as he was! Yet they live in fair repute, and never see themselves for what they are," and decides that her "son" is better off as merely a scarecrow.

Stella Flanders, the oldest resident of Goat Island, has just celebrated her 95th birthday. She has never crossed the reach, the body of water that separates the Island from the mainland, in her entire life. She tells her great-grandchildren when they ask, "I never saw any reason to go." Stella comes to the realization that the cancer that she's known she has, and kept to herself, is in its final stages when she starts seeing the deceased residents of Goat Island. Her visions start with her dead husband inviting her to "come across to the mainland."

As her impending death draws near, Stella encounters more apparitions of the dead of Goat Island, and she makes peace with the knowledge that it is her time to go. Dressed in her warmest clothes, plus her son's long johns and hat, Stella heads across the frozen reach toward the mainland.

As she starts her trek, it starts to snow - the blowing wind, along with the snow, makes it difficult for her to find her way and she becomes afraid of being lost in the storm. Along her walk, she meets up with the woman who was her best friend, Annabelle, as well as several others. When the wind whips the hat off of her head, her late husband, Bill, appears and gives her his hat. She is surrounded by her friends and family and they sing to her as she crosses over from this life.

Stella Flanders is found, dead, sitting upright on a rock on the mainland. Her son, Alden, recognizes his father's hat. He comes to believe that the dead sing and that they love those still living.

Hawaiian Dick: Byrd of Paradise

''Hawaiian Dick: Byrd of Paradise'' begins innocently enough with Mo Kalama visiting his friend, Byrd, to tell him about a stolen car that is a little hot for the police to handle, but not too hot for someone with the outside interest that Byrd would present. Together, they find out that the car, being paid to be delivered to a man named Grimes, has a stash that will be going to notorious island criminal and drug-baron Bishop Masaki, a Japanese expatriate who runs a criminal syndicate in Hawaii. Shortly after discovering this, Byrd, Mo, and Grimes are involved in a high-speed shoot-out in which the car gets riddled with bullets and they end up off the side of the Pali Highway.

Byrd and Mo discover that instead of drugs being stashed in the car's trunk, Bishop Masaki's lover, Leila Rose, was in there bound and gagged. However, the shoot-out resulted in her death. While they make this horrifying discovery, they also hear a steady drumbeat growing on the night air. Moving as far as possible, Byrd and Mo just escape from the clutches of the Pali Highway Night marchers, the spirits of Hawaiian warriors, though Grimes is swept away in the tumult, screaming. After the Marchers have passed, Byrd and Mo return to the car and discover that Leila Rose's body is gone as well.

Byrd investigates Leila Rose, and ends up meeting her sister, Kahami, at a bar called the Outrigger. Kahami, saddened by her sister's death, takes Byrd to visit her aunt, Auntie Chan, a woman who, in Hawaiian culture, is a sort of witch-doctor (similar to a bruja in Mexican culture). While Byrd meets with Kahami's aunt, revealing that it was she who raised Leila Rose and who got the girl killed in the first place, feeling it would be better to have dead nieces than ones who were in the thrall of Bishop Masaki, Mo investigates a disturbance at one of Bishop Masaki's warehouses. While there, he is knocked unconscious by Leila Rose's zombified corpse, who proceeds to leave the warehouse.

As the story rumbles towards its conclusion, Byrd and Kahami go to the docks to face Bishop Masaki as a storm rages around them. During their confrontation, Auntie Chan arrives. A shoot-out begins, during which time Auntie Chan gets shot, but stops when Bishop Masaki sees Leila Rose coming toward him during the storm. It is only when a flash of lightning strikes too late that Masaki sees Leila for the corpse she has become before she embraces him and they fall off the pier and into he roiling ocean. Byrd and Kahami flee the scene, as does Auntie Chan. The book ends with Byrd setting up his new offices in Auntie Chan's old storefront. Auntie Chan herself ends up stalled on the Pali Highway. She gets out of her car as a series of drumbeats begins.

Hawaiian Dick: The Last Resort

In ''The Last Resort'', Byrd is hired by Italian mafioso, Red Piano, to investigate who is trying to stall and sabotage the opening of his casino-resort, the Seaside Sands. He figures the trouble is being caused by his Irish rival, Danny Quinn, at the competing casino-resort, the Coral Reef. Byrd blows all of his advance from Piano on a new cherry-red 1954 Corvette despite the bills he is accumulating at his home office. Heading out to check on him, Mo and Kahami pose as cousins and also get a room at Red Piano's hotel.

After his meeting with Piano Byrd is captured by men of Quinn's, who tie him to a chair and try to coerce information about Piano and his job out of him. Byrd holds up against the abuse (mostly doled out by Quinn henchman Stew Mulligan) and remains tied up while Quinn and his boys decide better what to do with him. Byrd, trying to figure a way out of the mess, is aided by what appears to be the spirit of Leila Rose who unties him and directs him toward a window to jump out of. Byrd does and flees back to the Seaside Sands hotel. In the meanwhile, Mo is recognized by men of Quinn's who also kidnap the large detective and hold him until they can murder him and dispose of the corpse.

While Kahami remains worried about Mo, Byrd assumes (re: hopes) that Mo can handle himself, as he doesn't see a feasible way to try to free the man. Meeting up with Quinn's thug, Mulligan, Byrd and the Irishman hit it off and begin to drink heavily, during which time Mulligan reveals that Quinn wants to set up a casino at his resort, despite gambling being illegal in Hawaii. After this, Byrd passes out and Mulligan returns him to his hotel before heading back to Quinn's establishment. On his way, Mulligan hears strange noises in the wood and is waylaid by a Hawaiian spirit who runs him off a cliff and into the ocean below. The next day he appears at Red Piano's hotel saying one word, "Spooks", before falling face down, dead.

Quinn, in an uproar, storms into Piano's establishment and demands justice, though he is placated at first when they reveal that none of them killed Mulligan. Piano then reveals to Byrd that he has also greased local palms in order to get a casino running in his establishment and that he wants proof that Quinn is trying to harm his business so he will have the clout to muscle Quinn out of Hawaii altogether. Byrd also meets the Seaside Sands's bartender, an FBI agent named Chris Duque, who tells him that he is also investigating the criminality of the establishments and that Byrd's cooperation will be appreciated—whether Byrd actually wants to or not. During this time, Quinn's men are also trying to kill Mo, who has escaped the speedboat they were taking him out into the ocean with, along with one of his captor's weapons. He shoots the boat's driver through the head, then ducks as the out-of-control boat comes revving up the dock, banks off an outcropping of rock, and flies straight into Quinn's resort, blowing up one of the wings, and igniting the rest of the place. Quinn, furious about the attack he perceived to come from Red Piano, and about the fact that the Irish mafia just severed ties with him (by telephone), takes his men over to the Seaside Sands to have it out with the Italians.

While a massive gun battle between the Irish and the Italians ensues, Byrd still wonders who was trying to sabotage the resorts. Mo indicates that it may have been Hawaiian spirits, but Byrd dismisses this thought. As they try to flee the hotel, however, Byrd, Kahami, and Mo are nearly attacked by a spirit and escape just in time. Upstairs, Piano's and Quinn's men face each other in a stand-off while spirits materialize before them. Both men open fire out of fear, the bullets passing through the ghosts and into each opposing side instead. As Byrd, Kahami, and Mo flee the Seaside Sands, Anthony Antonio, the late Mr. Piano's right-hand man, joins them as Byrd's cramped Corvette hightails it out of there. How Byrd will pay his mounting bills remains to be seen.

Hawaiian Dick: Screaming Black Thunder

Beginning with Byrd and Kahami watching an airshow from the cliffs overlooking the beach (Byrd dodges around Kahami's questions of buying legitimate tickets) they watch as a squadron of WWII planes perform stunts in the air before being viciously attacked by—of all things—a Japanese Zero. While Byrd rushes down to see what's going on, we move to Mo Kalama poking his head into Anthony Antonio's new souvenir shop in Honolulu and checking to see if the reformed criminal really is as reformed as he seems. Byrd and Kamami end up going for drinks with several members of the Screaming Black Thunder, a rogue WWII air squadron made up of stunt pilots that fought for the Allies during WWII and now goes about the world in search of the supernatural. Byrd makes plans to meet with the group the following day at his offices to see if he can help them discover what's what regarding the Zero.

A young man (William Bloom), at the deathbed of his father (Edward Bloom), tries to reconcile his memories of his dad with the person he really is. Where as he always saw his father as an irresponsible liar, he comes to understand his dad's exaggerations.

The book is written in a chronological (although they may not appear so at first) series of tall tales. Despite the novel's first-person narration, there is no present tense part of the book. The various stories are Will's retelling of tales that Edward has told about his life. The 'My Father's Death Take' chapters are William planning out his final conversation with his father in his head and how it will go, so that when the actual conversation takes place, he will be able to get to bottom of the truth and of truly understanding his father.

The book draws elements from the epic poem the ''Odyssey'' and James Joyce's ''Ulysses''.

With help from the treacherous Song dynasty general Pun Mei, the Khitan-ruled Liao dynasty army succeeded in trapping the loyal Song general Yeung Yip and his seven sons at Golden Beach. Yeung Yip and his sons were all killed or captured in the ambush, except for the 5th son and the 6th son who managed to escape. The 6th son returned home, but was severely traumatised by the events resulting in tantrums. Meanwhile, the 5th son sought refuge in a monastery in Mount Wutai, but the monastery leaders initially did not consider him calm enough to be a Buddhist monk. As blades were not allowed inside a monastery, he used his training in spears to practice with a pole, eventually developing the unique eight diagram pole fighting technique. When he finally appeared to have put his anger and past behind him, news broke that the Khitans had captured his younger sister, Yeung Baat-mui, who was looking for him. Now he must break his Buddhist vows, which include not killing any living being and not being bothered by worldly affairs, to save Baat-mui and exact his revenge.

The novel is about a West African boy named Agu who is forced to become a child soldier. When war came to his family's small village, Agu’s mother and sister are able to leave with the UN peacekeepers, but Agu is ordered to stay behind and fight with his father and the other men of the village. When soldiers attack the village the men realize that whether they hide or not they will eventually be killed. They mount an attack but Agu runs away at his father's wishes. His father is shot to death.

Agu hides and is soon found by soldiers, who coerce him to join their rebel force. In a bloody initiation, the commander forces him to kill an unarmed man.

As Agu is forced to leave his childhood behind, he reminisces about the past: his family, his love of reading and school, his dream of becoming an important doctor, and how he used to read the Bible every day. He thinks about how he and his friend used to play at war and how this war is not the same. He fears that God hates him for killing others, but he soon forces himself to believe that this is what God wants, because “he is soldier and this is what soldiers do in war.” He befriends a mute boy named Strika, and together they face the crimes and hardships of war: looting, rape, killing, and starvation.

Agu loses track of time, understanding only that he was a child before that war but has become a man in a seemingly never-ending trial by fire. He wants to stop killing but fears that so doing will get him killed by the Commandant. During this time of war Agu and the army have very little to eat, so they eat what they can: rats, small game, goats, and sometimes other people. The food is not cooked enough for fear that others will see the fire, and the water is known to contain human feces. Agu and other children in the battalion are raped by the Commandant in return for small tokens. While Agu hates the rape, he does not resist as he fears he will be killed by the Commandant if he does so.

The Commandant eventually takes the battalion to the village of his birth where they visit a brothel. Commandant's second in command, Luftenant, is stabbed by a prostitute. Luftenant is then replaced by a soldier named Rambo, thus named because of his bloodthirst.

His wish to escape the army finally comes true when Rambo leads a successful revolt against the Commandant in a period of agonising lack of basic necessities. They kill Commandant and leave. Starved, exhausted and bereaved of his only friend, Strika, Agu joins the disbanded soldiers to try to make their way home. Strika dies, and Agu ultimately leaves his fellow soldiers.

In time, he comes under the care of a missionary shelter/hospital run by a preacher and a white woman, Amy. Agu gets new clothes and all the food and sleep he wants and regains his health and strength. However, after having lived through a bloody guerrilla war, the Bible no longer holds any meaning for him. Amy invites him to share his thoughts and feelings, and Agu tells her he would like to be a doctor and save lives so as to redeem his sins. He admits to being a devil, but says that his mother is loving him.

Detroit process server Jack Ryan has a reputation for finding men who don't want to be found. A string of seemingly unrelated crimes leads Ryan to the search for a missing stockholder known only as "unknown man #89," but his missing man isn't "unknown" to everyone: a pretty blonde hates his guts, and a very nasty dude named Virgil Royal wants him dead in the worst way. This is very unfortunate for Jack, who is suddenly caught in the crossfire of a lethal triple-cross and becomes as much a target as his nameless prey. Along the way, Ryan butts heads with local police, including six-shooter-carrying Dick Speed. The book is perhaps best remembered for a sequence taken straight from ''The Godfather'', where thug Virgil plants a shotgun in the meeting place of his victim, in this case, the fire escape of Bobby Lear's hotel room. Also of note is homosexual wannabe gangster Lonnie, whose "superfly" haircut was emulated by several of Elmore Leonard's other characters.

A month after the events in "Parasite Planet", Hamilton "Ham" Hammond and Patricia Burlingame are married, and thanks to Burlingame's connections, the two have been commissioned by the Royal Society and the Smithsonian Institution to explore the night side of Venus. There they find a species of warm-blooded mobile plants with a communal intelligence that Burlingame nicknames Oscar. Oscar is very intelligent, quickly picking up English from Hammond and Burlingame.

The humans learn that the Oscar beings reproduce by releasing clear bubbles full of gaseous spores. When the bubbles burst, the spores come to rest on another Oscar being, eventually grow into another individual, and bud off. In "Parasite Planet", the vicious, night-dwelling ''Triops noctivivans'' used these bubbles to attack Hammond and Burlingame, since the spores have a soporific effect on humans.

The humans are horrified to learn that, being plants, the Oscar beings have no survival instinct. Despite their greater-than-human intelligence, the Oscar beings react with indifference when the local trioptes attack and consume them. This prompts Burlingame to name their species ''Lotophagi veneris'' – the lotus eaters of Venus. Hammond and Burlingame barely escape the trioptes themselves after exposure to the spores leaves them almost catatonic.

Popular radio presenter Carroll Levis (playing himself), and Kay Sheldon (Carole Landis) find themselves entangled in a web of smuggling and murder. When a priceless "brass monkey" is stolen from a Japanese temple and smuggled into England, Levis encounters the eccentric Mr. Ryder-Harris (Ernest Thesiger), a Buddhist art connoisseur who's chasing the artefact, and will apparently stop at nothing to get it. The monkey is missing and suspicious murders are being committed in the hunt for its retrieval. With the help of the ''Discoveries'' radio talent, Levis attempts to avoid murderous henchman Herbert Lom, and foil Mr. Ryder-Harris's plans. Amongst all the mayhem, an array of musical and comedy performers audition for and appear on ''The Levis Hour'', the hero's weekly radio programme.

The play starts in 1936 just before the Spanish civil war starts,

In Madrid, the family of Don Luis, his wife Dolores and their children, Manolita and Luisito, share the daily life of the Civil War with their maid and neighbours. Despite having failed his exams, Luisito wants his father to buy him a bicycle. However, the situation forces them to delay the purchase and the delay, like the war itself, is to last much longer than expected.

The movie, and the play it was drawn from, show how daily life was conducted during the war. Unexpected things happen, but people find ways to survive. Above all, it is a story of survival and adaptation. the bicycle symbolises luisitos innocence disappearing as at the beginning he wants a bicycle to hang out with his friends and meet girls but by the end due to the horror of the war Luisito had to grow up and become the man of the house and his bike symbolises responsibilities he has to have for his family.

Luisito touches Maria

Thomas Roch, a brilliant French inventor, has designed the Fulgurator, a weapon so powerful that "the state which acquired it would become absolute master of earth and ocean." However, unable to sell his unproven idea to France or any other government, Roch begins to lose his sanity, becoming bitter, megalomaniacal and paranoid. The United States Government reacts by tucking him away at a luxurious asylum in New Bern, North Carolina, where he is visited by one "Count d'Artigas"—actually Ker Karraje, a notorious pirate of Malagasy origin. His heterogeneous crew is drawn from "escaped convicts, military and naval deserters, and the scum of Europe."

Karraje and his crew lead double lives. Karraje goes around openly, under the alias of "Count d'Artigas", a pleasure-loving, slightly eccentric but eminently respectable member of nobility. He is a regular visitor to the ports of the East Coast aboard his schooner ''Ebba''. To outward appearances, ''Ebba'' has no other means of propulsion than its sails, but in fact, it is pulled by an underwater tug. By this means, Karraje and his crew can pull up to becalmed sailing vessels without raising suspicion and board them without warning. They then rob and massacre the crews, scuttling the ships, adding to the statistics of "unexplained disappearances".

Karraje hears of Roch and his invention takes them both seriously and decides to gain possession of them. Actually, his aim is rather modest. He has no intention to seize mastery over the world, but just to make his hide-out impregnable. He and his men successfully kidnap Roch from his American asylum, and then bring him to their hide-out—the desolate island of Back Cup in the Bermudas. Here a wide cavern, accessible only by submerged submarine, has been made into a well-equipped pirate base. It has its own electrical power plant and is completely unknown to the rest of the world.

During the kidnapping, however, Karraje orders his men to also take along Gaydon, Roch's attendant for the past fifteen months. The reader knows (and, as is later shown, Karraje is also aware) that Gaydon is actually Simon Hart, a French engineer and explosives expert. Hart had decided "to perform the menial and exacting duties of an insane man's attendant" in the hope of learning Roch's secret and, thereby, saving it for France, actuated by "a spirit of the purest and noblest patriotism."

Hart is kept imprisoned at the pirate base, though in quite comfortable conditions. He can only watch in dismay as the pirate chief easily manages what four governments in succession have failed to do: win Roch over. Roch is given "many rolls of dollar bills and banknotes, and handfuls of English, French, American and German gold coins" with which to fill his pockets. Further, Roch is formally informed that the entire secret cavern and all in it are henceforward his property, and egged on to "defend his property" against the world which has wronged him so badly. Soon, the inventor is busy constructing his fearsome weapon, happily unaware that he is nothing but a glorified prisoner in the pirate's hands.

The paranoid Roch does, however, keep to himself the secret of the detonator or "Deflagrator", a liquid without which the explosive is merely an inert powder. By holding fast to that last secret, Roch unwittingly preserves the life of his ex-keeper Gaydon/Simon Hart. Karraje suspects, wrongly, that Hart knows much more of Roch's secrets than he is willing to let on. It serves the purposes of the pirate chief, a completely ruthless killer, to let Hart live. The pirate engineer Serko, Hart's "colleague," hopes to win him over in prolonged friendly conversations. Hart's reticence is misunderstood as proof that he has something to hide.

The pirates underestimate Hart, giving him a practically free run of their hide-out since the only way out is via submarine. But after carefully studying the currents, Hart succeeds in secretly sending out a message in a metal keg, giving the full details of Karraje's operations and his impending acquisition of the Fulgurator.

The message gets through to the British authorities at their nearby naval base in Bermuda, and the British Navy sends a submarine, , to find Hart. The submarine's crew makes contact with Hart, and take him and Roch on board, but the ''Sword'' is discovered, attacked and sunk by the pirates in a direct underwater submarine vs. submarine battle. The unconscious Hart and Roch are extracted from the sunken British sub by pirate divers, leaving the entire British crew to perish. Hart manages to convince the pirates that he had been kidnapped by the British sailors and had nothing to do with their "visit." He resumes his role as a tolerated prisoner with a free run of the pirate base.

Meanwhile, Roch's weapon is completed and becomes operational. A hastily gathered international naval task force approaches the island, consisting of five warships dispatched by the world's five largest powers.

The weapon, operated personally by Roch himself, works fully as advertised. Roch has no compunction in using it on British or American ships, and the first cruiser to approach the island is easily destroyed with only a handful of its crew surviving. Undaunted, the next ship approaches the shore, and the moment comes towards which the entire book was leading and from which its title was drawn: "A flag unfurls to the breeze. It is the Tricolour, whose blue, white and red sections stand out luminously against the sky. Ah! What is this? Thomas Roch is fascinated at the sight of his national emblem. Slowly he lowers his arm as the flag flutters up to the mast-head. Then he draws back and covers his eyes with his hand. Heavens above! All sentiment of patriotism is not then dead in his ulcerated heart, seeing that it beats at the sight of his country's flag!"

Having at the moment of truth, rediscovered his patriotism, Roch refuses to fire on his country's ship. He struggles with the pirates who try to seize his phial and the Deflagrator. During the struggle, Roch resorts to blowing up himself, his weapon, and the pirates along with the entire island. The single survivor of the cataclysm is Simon Hart, whose unconscious body with the diary at his side is found by the landing French sailors.

Hart is eventually revived, to be amply rewarded for his dedication to his country. He proudly bears witness to Thomas Roch's last-minute change of heart and self-sacrifice. French patriotism is the moral and material victor.

The story concerns a young American geologist, Stanton Laird, working in the Australian outback in the field of oil exploration. Although he is in a very remote location - beyond the black stump - in a region called "the Lunatic" in Western Australia, he is part of a crew that has a well-appointed mobile facility.

He is befriended by a local farming family, the Regans, and develops a relationship with their daughter Mollie. The Regans run an enormously profitable station, but their domestic lifestyle is, to say the least, unconventional, with the two Regan brothers at one time having Mollie's mother move from one to the other without bothering to get a divorce. The family is large, and even larger when counting the half-caste children produced by both fathers, and the children are taught by the Judge, an English exile and alcoholic, who gives the children an excellent education and keeps the finances of the station properly accounted for. Over the course of the explorations (which prove unsuccessful), he notes the unique lifestyle on what amounts to the Australian frontier, and falls in love with Mollie. The two wish to wed, but Mollie's mother insists that Mollie first see how the Lairds live in their Oregon town, Hazel, which was once on the frontier, but is no longer, though its citizens take pride in feeling that it still is.

The two travel to Hazel. At first, Mollie gets along well in the Laird family home. But then Stanton's one-time love, Ruth, the widow of Stanton's best friend, returns to Hazel with her son. The son bears a tremendous resemblance to Stanton, and Stanton is moved to confess to Mollie both that the son may be his, and that he killed a girl in a drunken accident as a teenager. Mollie is unconcerned about the boy—such things are common where she comes from—but is concerned and judgmental about the accident, and about Stanton's lack of concern for the dead girl. As Stanton expected Mollie to care very much about the boy, and did not expect her to be so concerned about the girl, the two begin to realize they have a very different outlook on life.

Eventually, Mollie comes to realize that she will never fit in while in Hazel, and does not particularly want to. Her place is on the true frontier, in the Lunatic, not in Hazel. She returns to Australia, where she will likely marry a young neighbor, an emigrant from England, who has long loved her. Stanton is likely to marry Ruth, as Mollie suggests he should. Stanton has a wedding present for Mollie, though—his final report reveals that the neighbor's impoverished lands lie over great quantities of artesian water, which will allow the neighbor—and Mollie—to flourish.

''Solus'' told a story which was integral to the Sigilverse.

The main character, Solusandra, was the creator of the Sigil-Bearers. She was an Atlantean who had undergone transition. She was allowed to "play" in a part of the galaxy and she used her powers to create The First, demi-gods with great powers. The strongest of these demi-gods and her special friend was Altwaal. She gave Altwaal seven weapons, called Altwaal's Weapons, which seem to be the most powerful artifacts in the galaxy. Not long after she created the First, she left them (for reasons never explained) and so when she returned (in ''Solus'' #5) she was not recognized.

More recently, Solusandra was convinced by Danik to work with him in creating Sigil-Bearers. These modified humans were given great power (the ability to control and use the ''universal cosmic power''). The purpose of the Sigil-Bearers was (eventually) to free Solusandra and defeat the other fully ascended Atlanteans. There were some disagreements between Danik and Solusandra in creating the Sigil-bearers. For example, Danik did not approve of Mordath as a Sigil-bearer, but Solusandra overruled him.

The other ascended Atlanteans figured out that Solusandra was doing something dangerous to them, so they attacked her. Their attack resulted in disaster. They all died, and Solusandra was nearly killed as well. She lost all of her memories and "died" on a dead planet, leaving Danik as the only "God". However, after some years Solusandra revived and found her world filled with life and many glowing, floating bubbles containing her sign, the sigil. With her memory gone, she touched a sigil-bubble and was transported to the location of one of the sigil-bearers, a computer game designer named Lindy Karsten.

When Solusandra touches Lindy's sigil, suddenly Solusandra gains a portion of her memories back (and Lindy loses her Sigil and her powers). Lindy is very distressed to lose her sigil powers and so she follows Solusandra back through the portal onto Solusandra's world. The remaining episodes show Solusandra visiting other sigil-bearers (Brath Mac Garen, Mikos of Abyelos, Kellra Tuskin, and Giselle Villard). Each time, Solusandra gains more memories, except for Kellra Tuskin: she nearly drives Solusandra insane (#7). Solusandra also visits Elysia, home of The First to take back some of Atlwaal's weapons (the weapons also give Solusandra some memories back).

Early on, Solusandra destroyed Lindy Karsten's mentor (a fragment of Danik) called Infoe. This ''death'' told Danik that something powerful was awake but nothing more. So Danik created a ''hound'' (looking like a huge skeleton of a dog made of flame). This ''hound'' chased Solusandra through several worlds, Solusandra destroyed the hound and directly notified Danik of her location.

In the last episode (#8) Solusandra meets with Danik, her one-time ally, who seemingly restores all her memories. Solusandra then sends Lindy Karsten away and swears that she will fight the Negation.

A group of Tinies return to their home planet after a voyage in space. They find out that their beautiful home has been turned into a horrid place by The Wicked One, a dark and cunning Tiny with a giant fang jutting from its mouth. The player controls a Tiny, who must defeat The Wicked One, who has captured the king and turned all the Tinies into mindless monsters by using a device simply referred to as "the machine".

The story takes place in 1969 and is told through the eyes of Valentín, an eight-year-old small, cross-eyed boy (Noya) whose thick black-rimmed glasses sit heavily on his face. He lives with his grandmother (Maura) due to the divorce of his parents. He dreams of being an astronaut one day and intently follows the ongoing space race between the U.S. and the Soviet Union. He no longer sees his Jewish mother, who was chased out of the family home by his imperious, dictator-like father (Agresti). He misses her badly but hardly remembers her. His anti-Semitic father only occasionally visits his mother and son, preferring to live the life of an Argentine playboy.

Valentín is friends with his uncle Chiche (Jean Pierre Noher) and the piano teacher Rufo who lives across the street (Mex Urtizberea). Both talk to Valentín as if he were an adult, and it seems Valentín is wise beyond his years. His uncle takes him to mass where a priest (Fabián Vena) talks about the death of an Argentinian doctor who was killed recently. He talks about Che Guevara as a man "who believed in an ideal, and who believed that injustice could be overcome. Please, don't leave here before you've asked yourselves, in all sincerity: Who of you would give, not his whole life, but a year or even just one day, for an ideal, the way that Che gave all he had?". Many in the audience walk out and Valentín comments: "But just like my uncle said, the priest couldn't change anything. Everything stayed the same".

Leticia (Julieta Cardinali), his father's latest romantic interest, pays a visit and both she and Valentin spend the day together going to the park, seeing a movie and sharing a meal. Valentín tells her personal things about his life and father. Due to Valentín's tales about his family, Leticia rethinks her relationship with his father and breaks up with him. His father is quite upset and blames Valentín.

One day Valentín realizes that his grandmother is ill but refuses to see a doctor. Valentín makes plans on how to get her to see Dr. Galaburri (Carlos Roffé). The plan he cooks up seems to work and she makes certain lifestyle changes. To thank the doctor, Valentín is thoughtful and buys a painting for Dr. Galaburri to display in his office. However, one day his grandmother passes away when she goes to the hospital and Valentín comes to stay with one of his friends from school.

One day a thoughtful man visits Valentín and gives him a shirt that his mother sent for him. They have a conversation about his mother and Valentín begins to understand why his mother has stayed away for such a long time. The film ends as he sets up a blind date between Leticia and his piano teacher Rufo. They all have a meal together and Valentín tells us he decided to become a writer and that Leticia and Rufo lived happily ever after.

In Buenos Aires, Mario Suárez, a middle-aged theatre director, is left holed up in his apartment, licking his wounds when his girlfriend (and principal dancer) Laura leaves him. Seeking distraction, he throws himself into his next project, a musical about the tango. One evening, while meeting with his backers, he is introduced to a beautiful young woman, Elena, the girlfriend of his chief investor Angelo, a shady businessman with underworld connections.

Angelo asks Mario to audition Elena. He does so and is immediately captivated by her. Eventually, he takes her out of the chorus and gives her a leading role. An affair develops between them, but the possessive Angelo has her followed, and threatens her with dire consequences if she leaves him, mirroring Mario's own feelings and actions towards Laura before Elena entered his life.

The investors are unhappy with some of Mario's dance sequences. They don't like a routine which criticises the violent military repression and torture of the past. Angelo has been given a small part, which he takes very seriously. The lines between fact and fiction begin to blur: during a scene in the musical showing immigrants newly arrived in Argentina, two men fight over the character played by Elena. She is stabbed. Only slowly do we realise that her death is not for real.

Somewhere in Mexico during the summer, an ancient Aztec pyramid, dedicated to the rain god Tlaloc, is discovered. It contains numerous artifacts as well as a remarkably well-preserved mummy. All of these items are transported to a university in the United States for study and display; the university is nearly deserted except for six archeology students and their professor, Professor Cyphers.

While they are preparing the artifacts for display, one of the students, Morris stupidly steals an amulet from the mummy's wrist; he gives it to one of the other students, a girl, Janine to impress her to take her on a date with him, whom he has a crush on named Stacey.

Janine has confession to Stacey in their dorm room that Morris stole the amulet from the mummy’s wrist to impress her and she knows that he was wrong to stealing, Morris and Janine went to the campus and Morris went to break into the kitchen to steal the beers on purpose. Don, Arlando and Norman angrily confront Morris of his stupidity behavior about the million dollar amulet, going to the jail and everything.

Unfortunately, it turns out that another of the six students is actually a descendant of Aztec priests named Norman, and that he needs the amulet as part of a ceremony to Tlaloc. This student, Norman, resurrects the mummy and sends it to recover the amulet so that he can complete the ritual. The murderous mummy begins killing anyone in its way. The other students learn about the mummy and also discover that the planned ritual to Tlaloc could be extremely destructive. They attempt to survive the mummy's attacks and to prevent the ceremony, but one by one are killed.

Eventually, the priest-student chooses Stacey, one of the remaining female students, to be a human sacrifice to Tlaloc; the last surviving student, Don, must rush to save her and stop the ritual, smashing the amulet into pieces on the ground, killing Norman and the mummy with his own knife and prevent the apocalypse.

Marjorie Morgenstern is a student at Hunter College and the girlfriend of an eligible young man, Sandy Lamm, who attends her family's synagogue. Her parents are happy with her choice of mate(department store heir), and her mother Rose Morgenstern (Claire Trevor) tells her father, Arnold (Everett Sloane), that she hopes the two children marry.

Marjorie breaks up with Sandy after he proposes unsuccessfully and goes to the Catskills resort that summer to be a camp counselor. One night, Marjorie and friend Marsha Zelenko (Carolyn Jones) sneak to a Borscht Belt resort for adults called South Wind. Margorie stumbles into a rehearsal for a dance routine and is noticed hiding in the back by the social director Noel Airman. After watching, and trying to get back to camp, she is caught by resort owner Maxwell Greech (George Tobias), but Noel Airman (Gene Kelly) vouches for Marjorie as a person looking for a job, which he then offers to her. She begins a relationship with Airman and a friendship with aspiring playwright Wally Wronkin (Martin Milner), who writes Airman's stage act. The latter has a romantic interest in Marjorie, but she's tempted by the older, more seasoned Airman, who meets the disapproval of her parents. Airman, whose original name was the more Jewish Ehrman, renames Marjorie as well from Morgenstern to Morningstar.

Marjorie's sweet Uncle Samson (Ed Wynn) comes to the resort to keep an eye on her. Samson intervenes as a waiter to lecture Noel on the character of Marjorie and not to take advantage of her good nature and youth. Noel reconsiders his plan to woo her into bed, and tells Marjorie to leave. He accuses her of wanting to find a husband and argues that he will never be subjected to a life of mediocrity and married suburban life. The relationship goes up and down all summer but they seem to coalescing as a couple until Marjorie's parents appear on a surprise visit. During a lunch, the conversation gets testy as her parents grill Noel on his career plans for the future. The relationship turns sour again, as Noel doesn't want to have anything to do with traditional Jewish life and business aspirations. Later, during a party, Marjorie notices that her uncle is feeling unwell but is distracted by Noel, who professes his uncontrollable attraction for her. When her uncle dies of a heart attack unattended, Marjorie blames herself, and Noel and leaves to go back to the city. A year later, after graduating Hunter College, Marjorie plans to continue her acting career to the chagrin of her parents. She ends up dating a doctor named Harris, with whom she quickly breaks up when Airman returns to find her showing up in a limousine. He declares that love has convinced him to become respectable and conventional. Marjorie tells her mother, who insists her daughter bring him to a Passover meal. "Not Passover, mother. He’s not very religious. He doesn’t believe in those things," Marjorie says. Rose answers, "He doesn’t believe in those things... you’re going to get married. How are you going to raise your children?"

In the midst of the Passover meal, he leaves and Marjorie follows him. She is concerned he's bored, but he says, "I wasn’t bored. I was disturbed, deeply. I couldn’t help thinking of all the things I’ve missed in life. Family, your kind of family. Faith, tradition. All the things I’ve been ridiculing all the time. That’s why I couldn’t take it anymore. I love you very much, Marjorie Morgenstern."

Airman gets a job at an advertising firm and seems to do well, but one week he doesn't show up at work and refuses to take Marjorie's calls. She goes to his apartment and finds him drunk with a strange woman, Imogene Norman. He has decided he cannot stand the professional lifestyle and wants to be an artist. The impetus to change careers is the success of Wally Wronkin on Broadway; the playwright has launched a series of hits and Airman is consumed with jealousy. Upon admitting he hates his conventional job and his anger towards himself, Margorie convinces her girlfriend's new husband to invest in his play. Wally and the investors critique the play's ending as being depressing and not viable, but in a fit of rage Noel refuses to make the changes required to appease them. Despite Airman's outbursts, the investors are convinced to back the play with Wally's lukewarm assurances that it was viable enough. The play is panned by critics and is a flop. "We were crucified," the investor explains to Marjorie. The relationship with Noel is unable to survive, and he runs away, again, this time leaving her a note saying he is on his way to Europe. She travels to Europe to search for him. In London, she meets Wally who tells her Noel is back at South Wind, the resort where they first met.

Marjorie returns to South Wind, where she watches Noel rehearsing a new summer show. Everything is exactly the same as it was, her first summer there, except for herself. Greech observes that she's done some growing up. We see her board a bus. In the rearview mirror, Wronkin sits in back. He smiles, as he's been waiting for her to get over her summer fling. The suggestion is that they will embark on the relationship for which Wronkin had been hoping from the beginning.

Lifelong friends Deco and Naldinho share ownership of an old, rusting boat in Salvador, Brazil. A strong bond exists between the two men, transcending their racial differences. "No woman will come between us," Naldinho tells Deco, and Deco concurs: "All the women in the world couldn't come between us."

That bond is tested after the men meet Karinna, a dancer and prostitute. Karinna needs a ride, and she offers the two men her "services" in exchange for transport on their boat and a little cash.

The emotional entanglements that result from Karinna's "deal" are stronger than the trio expected. Deco and Naldinho develop a desire to possess Karinna. Karinna's desires are more subtle, though it is clear that she feels both a sisterly affection and sexual attraction toward the two men. Karinna gets pregnant and decides to abort as she does not seem to know or care who the father is. She puts the two friends at odds with each other, however they are able to overcome her destructive influence.

The film concentrates on the safety inspections and arguments surrounding the O-rings that ultimately were blamed for the explosion of ''Challenger''. While doing this, it also aims to show the personal humanity of the seven crew members. Generally, the film supports the Space Shuttle program and the dedication of NASA personnel in general while criticizing NASA management.

After beginning on the eve of the launch, the rest of the film is told through flashback, beginning on July 19, 1985, when Christa McAuliffe was officially selected to be the first teacher to travel into space. The film ends just as the shuttle takes off on January 28, 1986, following a symbolic scene of each of the seven crew members and passengers reciting in their thoughts John Gillespie Magee Jr.'s poem "High Flight". U.S. President Ronald Reagan used part of "High Flight" in a speech written by Peggy Noonan on the night after the ''Challenger'' disaster while eulogizing the fallen members of the crew.

A rich oil tycoon (Finlayson) awakens one morning after a night of carousing to be told that he was married the night before. Not only does he have a new wife, but also a new gold-digging stepdaughter and brother-in-law who want to murder him for his wealth. His lawyer (Laurel) is called in to straighten things out when a blackmail attempt is made. He decides to hide out in a hotel with his butler (Hardy) and his lawyer (Laurel). He finally escapes by climbing on Stan's shoulders, wearing a long overcoat and pretending to be Ollie's wife. Wild chases through a dance hall and amusement park ensue.

After being forcibly divorced from his wife for political reasons, Spencer tries to force his way on board the ship she’s on. After being ejected, he gets drunk and implanted with a "feelgood" device that stimulates the pleasure centers of the brain. Spencer is saved from this addictive and lethal fate by an unknown Kona Tatsu (secret police) agent. They clean and care for him, then send him on a mission to the Daltgeld system.

Working with Agent Suss Nanahbuc, Spencer is given command of a task force and told that Kona Tatsu (KT) agents are disappearing from the planet. Upon arrival, the Duncan splashes down to dock for repairs, and Nanahbuc heads out to learn the fate of the other agents.

While docked, Spencer gets a visit from McCain, a KT agent hiding from the enemy. However, the enemy is aboard and kills McCain before they can analyze the data she found. The enemy turns out to be a small mercury-like blob that seems to react to its environment, weighs 16 tons, and can control the devices it infects. Spencer leaves the ship and closes it down tight, but it’s already too late.

In the end, it turns out an alien artifact was recently discovered in an asteroid, and the captain of the mining freighter was "convinced" to take the artifact to the head of a local conglomerate, Jameson. The device, a helmet made of a mercury-like substance, takes over Jameson and uses him as a control center for taking over the system, with plans to leave it and spread throughout the galaxy. After losing his flagship to prevent an alien from leaving the system, Spencer and Nanahbuc locate the main asteroid of the enemy and head in with the task force to put an end to it for good.

Stan and Ollie play two convicts who share a cell. They dig a tunnel to escape from prison. After making a detour to avoid a burst underground water pipe, they emerge through the floor of the warden's office and are quickly sent back to the cell block after a short chase. Not long afterward, Stan and Ollie cleverly disguise themselves as painters and casually walk out through the prison's front gate during a meal break carrying paint cans and brushes. They are watched by a suspicious policeman, however. To keep the ruse going, they indiscriminately paint everything they see—including a parked car and its engine. After they accidentally paint the backside of a female passerby, the policeman pursues them. They climb into a limousine, eject the two backseat passengers, and steal their evening clothes. By happenstance, the men were two visiting French prison officials who were on their way to meet with the governor to learn about American prisons. Their chauffeur is unaware of the switch and he continues to his destination. Stan and Ollie assume the role of the French visitors and are taken to a banquet at the governor's home. While dining, Stan hilariously tries to corral a wayward cherry that has fallen from the top of his appetizer. When the banquet concludes, the governor escorts Stan and Ollie on a tour of the nearby prison. Their cell block comrades quickly recognize them—as do the real French dignitaries who are occupying Stan and Ollie's former cell in their underwear. After a brief chase, Stan and Ollie are marched back to their home behind bars.

Henpecked Stan has been secretly saving money from his penny-pinching wife. When Ollie learns about Stan's stash, he suggests they use it to have a good time. However, before the twosome can leave, Stan's wife finds the wallet and replaces Stan's cash with cigar coupons—the trading stamps of the 1920s. Thus, when Stan and Ollie head out the door Stan has no idea he his wallet no longer contains cash. Stan and Ollie arrive outside an upscale cafe featuring live entertainment just in time to see the large head waiter roughly remove two male patrons who cannot pay their bill. They are followed out the door by their two dates who explain they have no money to pay the check. The girls then approach Stan and Ollie who offer to pay their outstanding restaurant bill, their accruing cab fare — and continue to treat them to a night on the town. A busybody sees Stan and Ollie enter the cafe with two strange women. She runs off to report this transgression to their wives.

Stan enjoys the cafe's all-midget floor show so much that he buys them all gifts from a cigarette girl. It is then that Stan discovers his wallet contains only cigar coupons. To buy time, Stan quickly tells the cigar girl to put the cost on his tab. When the bill finally arrives, Stan and Ollie attempt to sneak out of the cafe while the lights are dimmed during another dance performance. This plan fails miserably and they have to flee from the angry headwaiter — and their angry wives who have arrived to confront them. Their evening on the town ends in a pie-throwing brawl in the restaurant's kitchen.

Ollie and his wife are enjoying a quiet Sunday at home until Stan shows up, eager to play some golf. After Stan breaks the Hardys' Victrola and nearly sets fire to their house, Mrs. Hardy chases the boys out. At the golf course, they are partnered with a pair of comely young lasses to complete a foursome. The girls want to be treated to sodas, but the boys are short of money. Stan leaves his watch to settle the thirty-cent bill. On the course, they tangle with rude golfer Edgar Kennedy, and wind up in a mud-throwing battle with several other linksters.

The duo are homeless vagrants, until Ollie receives word that he has inherited a fortune from a deceased uncle. He buys a sumptuous mansion and makes Stan his butler. After a night of indulging in too much champagne, Ollie returns home intent on playing a series of cruel practical jokes on Stan. Stan retaliates by breaking nearly everything in the house.

Eric Rath plays a paranoid cult leader named L. Conrad Powers (a parody of L. Ron Hubbard), whose organization is called the "Church of Scientific Spiritualism."

The narrative starts with Leland Conrad Powers getting interested in cults and he watches a Black Mass from behind a tree being performed by Zach Carson. Carson invites Powers to perform the "Caliban Working" and afterwards Carson gives Powers $20,000 to sell sailboats. Powers sails off with the boat, the money, and Helen Hughes. In retribution, Carson evokes Satan to summon a typhoon.

The film often takes the form of parody. One of the church followers in the film creates a device that can read thoughts, called a "Mind Meter." Scientologists use a similar-looking device, the e-meter, as an aid in Scientology counseling, claimed to measure the "mass of a thought". Other elements in the film that have been cited as similar to L. Ron Hubbard and Scientology include conflict with the Internal Revenue Service, an infiltration of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, usage of military uniforms and science fiction theology. L. Conrad Powers is supported in the film by a "Tom Cruise-style celebrity," before eventually becoming a "reclusive demagogue."

Professor Padilla is a mad scientist whose plans have drawn the interest of the police. His latest scheme is to perform a medical experiment on a corpse. Over the supper table, as Professor Padilla is contemplating a new theory that the human brain has a level surface, there's a knock on the door. Stan and Ollie, by chance, happen to arrive at the professor's home in search of a free meal. The professor offers the duo $500 if they will steal a body from a local graveyard. They think the professor is barmy, but they agree to his offer anyway. The conversation is overheard by the professor's butler, Ledoux, who happens to be a police informant. Ledoux calls police headquarters and is told to go to the graveyard to thwart any theft. Meanwhile, the police arrest the mad professor. At the cemetery, Stan and Ollie get into a series of comical misadventures trying to enter the grounds and while digging up a fresh grave. Ledoux manages to slip into the grave while covered in a white sack. Stan and Ollie take Ledoux from the grave. With Ledoux's "corpse" slung over Stan's back, Ledoux's legs rip through the bottom of the sack—and he walks step for step behind Stan. Stan and Ollie realize their stolen corpse is still alive and begin to run in panic. The chase ends with Ollie and Ledoux falling into a deep, water-filled hole.

Stan and Ollie are hired as waiters at an upper class dinner party, with Ollie taking charge before entering the property . The maid shows them inside, where Stan puts their personal card on table with a collection of others. Visible on their card is the slogan, “All we ask is a chance”. A small fight breaks out between Ollie and Stan as a result of Ollie trying to keep Stan from putting his hat on inside the house.

After the wife of the household inspects them she gets shown a notice apologizing that the only available waiters were the duo, where it is revealed on the paper that their previous experience in waiting was at railroad eating houses. Ollie comments to the wife's husband that she is “some wiggler!” and naturally, the husband is not impressed.

The pair get ready to start work in the kitchen where Stan tells the chef (who is busy cooking) not to wear his hat. Stan takes it off him several times but the chef proceeds to keep putting it back on. Stan soon loses his cool and throws the chef's hat away. The chef retaliates by grabbing the nearest plate and smashing it over Stan's head. Stan does the same back to the chef and they carry on using plates as weapons until Ollie calms things down by stopping Stan from destroying a large, expensive looking plate. However, as Ollie walks off, he trips on the kitchen floor and smashes the plate, causing him to be embarrassed by the onlooking maid.

Meanwhile, the party goes on, oblivious to the impending disaster awaiting them. The wife of the household isn't having an easy time either, as she struggles to eat her fruit cocktail with the cutlery provided. Her predicament carries on throughout the film. Stan and Ollie come into the room as they are about to start serving food. Stan manages to pour, what looks like soup, onto Ollie's foot while he counts the guests. Ollie begins carrying a very large cake to the table but slips on a banana skin left by the family dog and lands head first into the cake. Ollie manages to do this more than once in the film, much to the bemusement of the guests, and of Stan, who accuses him of falling over on purpose at one point.

The pair spend most of the film falling down while trying to serve the food, much to the anger of the husband of the household. This is one of the first films to show Stan getting cross for once, as he loses his temper with Ollie's incompetence and with the guests.

The wife then asks Ollie to serve the salad “undressed”. Ollie tells Stan to do this who, confused, heads to the kitchen to tell the maid what he has to do. The maid says, “I always serve it that way...”. Stan can't believe this but goes ahead and dresses down to his underwear to serve the salad. The film ends with the husband and wife discovering Stan undressed, and after a futile attempt by Ollie to put a jacket on Stan and ask, “How's that - perfect?”, Ollie gets hit by the wife and falls into yet another cake.

Stan and Ollie are prison escapees running down the road with a police officer firing a shotgun at them. They meet up with two accomplices in a car and, in their haste to change into street clothes, they wind up wearing each other's pants. Tossing their prison uniforms out the window, they attract the attention of a motorcycle police officer, but get out of the car without him seeing. They go looking for places to swap pants: the alley where a cop is grabbing a smoke and a lady screams at the sight of them; behind some crates with another cop nearby; and behind a seafood shop, where a crab accidentally finds its way into Stan's trousers, causing him problems with nipping. Not paying attention to where they are going, Ollie topples a record player outside a music shop as records cover the sidewalk and the owner is not amused. A cop chases the boys to a construction site, where they evade him by riding an elevator to the top floor of an unfinished building. Atop the girders, 20 stories in the air, they finally switch trousers, contend with the crab, and nearly fall to their death a few dozen times. Finally, they manage to catch the next elevator, reach the ground safely, and make their getaway, failing to notice the cop who has been squashed into a dwarf by their elevator.

Stable grooms Laurel and Hardy overhear news of a $5,000 reward for the return of the stolen painting ''The Blue Boy'', but think the reward is for the horse at their barn named Blue Boy. The police eventually recover the Blue Boy painting and are making plans to return it. When the grooms bring the horse to the painting's owner, he speaks to them from an upstairs window where he can't see the steed; he tells them to bring Blue Boy into the house.

The three come clumping through the front door while the millionaire upstairs takes a bath. Ollie has an altercation with a nude statue, which snaps into three pieces after the two tumble to the floor; Hardy safeguards the statue's modesty by wrapping its bare torso in his coat while he reassembles it. When the statue's back upright and Ollie removes the coat, the torso segment is backwards, so its backside protrudes out from where its midriff should be.

The millionaire calls down from upstairs, "Put him on top of the piano". Working together, the boys manage to lead the horse over to the grand piano, and up he leaps to his high perch. Things seem fine, when suddenly a piano leg gives way and Ollie is left holding things up. During all this, the horse keeps on trying to knock Stan's hat off, often succeeding.

The millionaire's mother returns home, the police arrive with the real Blue Boy, the recovered painting, and the refreshed millionaire descends from his bath, whereupon the misunderstanding is revealed. Ollie apologizes for the "faux pas", and he, Stan and Blue Boy make a hasty exit, followed by the irate millionaire with a shotgun. In the process, the priceless painting gets knocked to the floor on top of one of the detectives.

The book begins with an epigraph from The Marriage of Heaven and Hell, in which William Blake imagines a conversation with the prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel. Asked how he could dare to claim that God had spoken to him, Isaiah says he came to sense the infinite in everything and concluded that the voice of honest indignation was itself the voice of God. Ezekiel says that the work of a prophet is to raise other men into a perception of the infinite.

Part I

In the years after World War II, Mary Hare lives on the outskirts of suburban Sarsaparilla. While possessed with a deep love of nature and animals, she is socially awkward and ostracised from the community, who regard her as an eccentric. Flashbacks to her childhood show her abuse and torment at the hands of her father, a Sydney wine merchant who married above his station and arrogantly squandered his wife’s fortune on the construction of Xanadu, the crumbling estate where Mary now lives. Her distant cousin Eustace Cleugh, who once visited Xanadu but responded to Mary’s childhood infatuation with disdain, has recently resumed financially supporting her after a long absence during the war. She was once nursed back to health from a serious illness by Ruth Godbold, during which she had visions of a fiery chariot; Mary inwardly believes Ruth shares the same vision.

With her new means, Mary hires Mrs Jolley to keep house for her. Jolley is outwardly religious but is soon revealed to be a callous, judgemental woman. The pair quickly develop a mutual fear and hostility of one another as Jolley strikes up a friendship with Mrs Flack, a kindred spirit and the town gossip who lives on her own in Sarsaparilla. Seeking refuge from the poisonous atmosphere of Xanadu, Mary takes refuge in the scrubland around the estate and encounters the elderly Mordecai Himmelfarb.

Part II

Mordecai shares his life story with Mary as the pair bond under a tree. Born in the 1880s to a wealthy Jewish merchant family in Germany, Mordecai’s early childhood was tinged with the faint awareness of the pogroms underway in eastern Europe at the time. He grows into an exceptional scholar and studies at Oxford, where a brief affair with the daughter of an English nobleman leaves him heartbroken. Soon before returning home to fight for Germany in World War I, his mother sends a letter to tell him that her father has renounced Judaism; relatives later blame her death on this decision. Mordecai wins a medal for his wartime service, marries and is later appointed to an English professorship in a small town.

The rise of the Third Reich sees his expulsion from university and his wife is taken away during Kristallnacht, never to be seen by Mordecai again. When the liberal couple sheltering him are taken away, Mordecai presents himself at a police station and is taken to a concentration camp by train. Many of his fellow passengers die on the journey. Mordecai is spared immediate extermination on arrival and escapes after a camp uprising. He is later helped to Palestine, where after a brief reunion with his brother-in-law, he impulsively announces his intention to settle in Australia.

Part III

Soon after his arrival in Sydney, Mordecai takes a metalworking job at Brighta Bicycle Lamps in Barranugli. He recognises that his employer Harry Rosetree is also a German Jew, but his overtures are sternly rebuffed by the factory owner, whose family are shown to be doing their best to assimilate to middle-class Australian society. Mrs Flack begins to spread malicious and unfounded gossip about Mordecai which she relays to Blue, another worker at the factory who she introduces to Mrs Jolley as her nephew. Mordecai accidentally injures his hand with a drill while at work one day and is tended to by his next-door neighbour, Ruth Godbold.  

Part IV

Ruth is an impoverished and deeply religious woman supporting six young children by taking in laundry from other households. As a child she emigrates to Sydney from Britain after a farming accident kills her brother, and later works as a domestic servant in the household of wealthy socialite Jinny Chalmers-Robinson. She moves to Sarsaparilla with Tom, later revealed to be an abusive and philandering alcoholic. Their marriage comes to an end after she confronts him at a brothel where she also encounters and shows kindness to Alf Dubbo, an Aboriginal man who is treated abusively by the others present.

Part V

Mrs Jolley tells Mary she is terminating her service to live with Mrs Flack, and reveals the depths of her own bigotry by scorning Mary’s friendship with Mordecai. The depths of Mordecai’s ostracism from the rest of the Brighta factory workforce are shown. In the factory bathroom, Mordecai finds a copy of the Bible open to the description of the chariot in the Book of Ezekiel. Alf, employed as a cleaner at the factory, comes in to reclaim his book and the men share a terse introduction. Despite Alf’s reticence to open up to Mordecai, both men individually recognise they share a deep spiritual connection over the chariot.

Alf’s early life is recounted, including his abduction from his mother and childhood in the home of the Anglican clergyman Timothy Calderon, whose sister encourages his nascent gift for painting. Alf runs away as a teenager after Calderon’s sister catches both men having sex. Arriving in Sydney, he sublets a room from the prostitute Hannah, where he lives a reclusive existence honing his artistic talents by painting scenes of the Gospels. When Hannah steals some of his paintings and sells them, claiming to be helping his financial situation, he is deeply hurt by the betrayal and immediately leaves, later taking a room in Barranugli to work at the bicycle lamp factory.

Part VI

In the present day, Easter is looming. Sensing trouble, Rosetree quietly offers Himmelfarb the opportunity to stay at home during Passover. Mordecai also has a sense that there is a conspiracy against him, but he nonetheless returns to the factory on the day before Good Friday. Blue and his friends at the factory win a lottery syndicate and spend the morning drinking at a pub across the road. Wandering through the factory drunk, Blue is overcome by the sense of Mordecai’s otherness and reminded of Mrs Flack's mention of the Jewish deicide. Mordecai is seized and subjected to a mock crucifixion on a jacaranda tree outside the factory. Alf refuses to intervene and denies any association with Mordecai. At the same time, Mary Hare walks through Xanadu as a crack appears in the marble structure of her home, and she intuits that her friend is being killed.

Rosetree at first fails to intervene but eventually instructs the foreman to end the spectacle. Himmelfarb is cut down, but it later becomes clear he is mortally wounded. His wounds are tended to in the shed which Ruth’s family lives, with the assistance of Mary, as his own home is set alight and destroyed. Alf watches the trio from outside but leaves before his own presence is discovered, and Mordecai succumbs to his injuries.

Overcome by guilt over Mordecai's death, Rosetree hangs himself in his bathroom. Alf stays in his room and works for days on end to paint the scene he witnessed at Ruth’s house, which he incorporates into his picture of Ezekiel’s vision of the chariot. Soon after he finishes, he is found dead by his landlady; the painting is auctioned off in an estate sale and its present whereabouts, or even whether it survived, is unknown.

Part VII

Years later, Xanadu is demolished and sold off by an agent of the beneficiary of Mary’s will, Eustace Cleugh. The land is subdivided for Sydney’s expanding suburban fringe. Mary is presumed dead after leaving Sarsaparilla the night of Mordecai’s death, but her body has never been found.

Mrs Jolley discovers that Blue is actually Mrs Flack’s son, born out of wedlock. Separately, Mrs Jolley’s children are revealed to believe her responsible for the death of her husband, preventing her return to Melbourne — a fact Mrs Flack discovers snooping through Mrs Jolley’s letters. Both are condemned to live together in an environment of mutual fear, wary of the power each wields over the other.

Rosetree’s wife Shirl, since remarried, is invited to a society lunch with Ruth’s former employer Jinny and another woman. The trio debate whether what occurred at Sarsaparilla was a miracle, and Shirl loses her composure after recalling Harry's suicide.

Ruth watches her eldest daughter Else with her new partner Bob Tanner — both of whom helped tend to Mordecai — and realises that he will treat Else with the love and respect that she never knew in her own marriage. Walking past the land that was once Xanadu one day, she is overcome by the memory of Mordecai’s death. On future walks along the same route, she averts her eyes.

There is not even a hint of happiness in the Hardy household: by just the second shot, Mrs. Hardy, hatted, has trudged down the steps with suitcase in hand and an angry scowl on her face. She points to the source of her irritation off-camera, and in a funny pan over to the sofa, there's an empty-faced Stan sitting with a cigar in his mouth. Mrs. H is having none of her husband's attempts at conciliation — "He leaves! Or I leave!" — and after just a moment of hesitation from Ollie, she makes good on her threat. "Uncle Bernal won't leave us a dime if you go," Ollie offers, but she shows how much she cares about that by sweeping two planters off their stands and onto the floor as she pounds out the door.

And thus is set off the rest of the story. First Stan and Ollie have a round of vase smashing in the living room and Stan announces that he, too, will be leaving the premises. Then the doorbell rings — and ''of course'' it is Uncle Bernal. Some astonishingly fast sweeping conceals the evidence of the recent destructive ''contretemps'', and Ollie greets Uncle B cordially. The two settle in on the sofa and Uncle Bernal says he wants to meet the little lady. Before Ollie can say she's not home, Stan slams a drawer upstairs and Ollie is forced to say, "I'll bring her down."

Upstairs, Ollie drafts Stan into playing the absent Magnolia and supervises his wardrobe transformation, then hurries back down to ride herd on inquisitive Uncle B, who has discovered telltale debris of planters and vases behind the sofa. Ollie paves the way for his "wife's" grand entrance by telling his uncle that "She's not much to look at — But ''what'' a clown." Said entrance is indeed grand — when "she" turns her ankle and bounces down the steps with legs widely akimbo. Bernal looks stunned after his first glimpse of his niece, but he smiles wanly when Ollie looks for approval. Out on the sofa, Stan tries to snare the cigar Bernal is offering Ollie, then Uncle offers dinner — and dancing — at The Pink Pup, and "won't take no for an answer."

At the supper club, Stan proves to be as inept a wife as he was a houseguest. When Ollie slips and pulls Stan down with him, "her" flailing attempts to get up are far removed from femininity; when her dumbbell-falsies tumble out, she has trouble staying in her chair. She does draw the gaze of a nearby drunk, as she was scratching her itchy leg in stockings, though, whose attentions turn increasingly amorous and culminate when he presents her with a centerpiece and the question: "Didn't I meet you in the fountain at Miami?" He makes himself at home at their table, tickling Stan under the chin and rubbing Uncle Bernal more and more the wrong way, until Uncle asks Ollie, "Why don't you do something forceful?" Ollie's forceful action is to turn his bowl of soup over the drunk's head and leave the bowl on top like a doughboy's tin hat. The drunk maintains his dignity: he asks for his check, and for a bowl of soup "to take out." He exits with his tuxedo soiled, his soup-bowl full, but self-esteem flying high. When Ollie commandeers Stan's soup to replace his own, a cutaway to Uncle Bernal suggests that he might be growing a little tired of his would-be heir.

Meanwhile, a dishonest waiter has been eyeing the chunky diamond pendant dangling from a posh lady diner, and when he gets the chance, he lifts it. But the maitre d' pledges to the woman's husband he'll have everyone in the place searched, and the culprit chooses Stan's back to drop the hot rock down. Stan's resultant wriggling further irritates Bernal, so The Boys adjourn to the dance floor to sort things out. But they do not have much luck there, and get caught behind a screen, then in a phone booth, then up on stage with Ollie's hands all over Stan. Watching their gyrations is too much for exasperated Uncle Bernal who stands up and announces, "I'm through! I'll leave my money to a dog and cat hospital!"

The Boys pursue him out the front door, but he leaves them in front of the club. Ollie is crestfallen: "I've lost my wife, an' my fortune — What next?" From outside the frame comes an arm and a bowl of soup, which gets overturned onto Ollie's head, leaving the bowl on top. A cut to a wider shot reveals the little drunk from inside, still wearing his bowl like a WWI helmet, while the music track plays "Over There."

In the closing two-shot, The Boys have slowly spreading smiles, and we realize what they ''have not'' lost: the friendship that will carry them through nearly fifty more short subjects and many features.

;'''''Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' #48''' Azrael sends a report to Batman that a plague connected to The Sacred Order of Saint Dumas is on its way to Gotham City. Robin finds that a private plane has just landed in Gotham from Africa. The passenger, Peter Maris, enters his exclusive condominium complex, Babylon Towers. Believing that the plague is about to infect Gotham, he proposes to the other homeowners that they dismiss their servants and seal the building, which is entirely self-sufficient, and they agree. What Maris does not know is that he is already infected, and has passed the infection to his pilot, who joins the servants entering the city. Batman infiltrates a military facility where the Ebola Gulf-A virus, also known as "the Clench", was being studied. The military's head of research, General Derwent, has been accidentally infected and is slowly dying.

;'''''Detective Comics'' #695''' / '''''Robin'' #27''' / '''''Catwoman'' #31''' Batman and Robin trace the original source of the outbreak to Babylon Towers, eavesdropping while Peter Maris, now realizing that he is infected, tells the other residents about a survivor from a previous outbreak in Greenland. The residents post an enormous reward for his live capture. As a result, when Robin and Alfred arrive in Canada to find him, Catwoman and a bounty hunter named Tracker are already there. The two pairs' initial clash is halted by Azrael, whom Batman asked to keep an eye on Robin. While they are trying to get the survivor to safety, they are ambushed by gunmen. The survivor dies, but gives Robin a sample of his blood, along with the names of two other possible survivors.

;'''''Azrael'' #15''' Azrael joins forces with Tracker and Catwoman, while Robin returns to Gotham City with the blood. They track the second survivor, a Chinese gangster, to a yacht and overpower his guards. On their unfortune, the gangster has come to regard his survival of the plague as proof that he is immortal, and demonstrates his immortality by stabbing himself in the throat with a knife, lingering just long enough to realize that he was wrong.

;'''''Batman'' #529''' Gotham City has been quarantined. Robin and Azrael deliver blood samples from the two survivors to Batman, who attempts to create an antidote. Believing he has succeeded, Batman has Poison Ivy released from Arkham Asylum to deliver the cure to Babylon Towers, since she is immune to all toxins and diseases. Nightwing and Huntress join forces to try and quell riots outside Babylon Towers, while the Gotham Police Department, completely disgusted with the ineffective leadership of Mayor Krol and his toady, Commissioner Andy Howe, ask James Gordon to resume his old post.

;'''''Batman: Shadow of the Bat'' #49''' Inside Babylon Towers, Poison Ivy amuses herself by soliciting bids for the antidote from the richest and most desperate residents. Batman and Gordon both enter the complex to re-capture her and quell the unrest inside, learning that the antidote does not work. Outside, Robin's contact with one of the rioters leads to him being infected.

;'''''Detective Comics'' #696''' Nightwing rushes Robin to the Batcave and puts him under Alfred's care. The state governor, fed up with Krol's inaction, declares martial law and sends in the National Guard. Batman re-captures Ivy and escapes Babylon Towers with her and Gordon, before the mob burns it to the ground.

;'''''The Batman Chronicles'' #4''' Batman learns of a secret government entity that might be able to provide a cure for the plague, but Hitman kills its agent first. Huntress tries to find one of her students who lost his entire family to the plague, and finds him already dying of it. Delirious from fever, Tim Drake dreams of a life in which his mother is still alive, and his parents and girlfriend know about him being Robin.

;'''''Catwoman'' #32''' Catwoman picks up the trail of the third and last survivor from the Greenland outbreak, finding her in Florida and taking her back to Gotham City. She is disappointed to find Babylon Towers has burned to the ground, meaning that there is no one left alive to pay the bounty – and even more disappointed when Batman informs her that no cure can be synthesized from any of the survivors' blood.

;'''''Azrael'' #16''' Seeing the plague virus through the microscope, Azrael realizes that he has seen it before, meaning it was engineered and unleashed by the Order of St. Dumas. Searching through the texts Brian took from the Order, Lilhy is able to translate the formula for the antidote. Azrael rushes it to Gotham City, evading assassins sent by the Order to stop him, and delivers the formula to a hospital.

;'''''Robin'' #28''' Nightwing returns to the Batcave and finds Tim cured. Batman reminds them that they still have to restore order in the city, even after Marion Grange replaces Armand Krol and reinstates Gordon as Police Commissioner. Despite almost dying from the plague, Robin joins Batman and Nightwing in aiding the police against a local gang, trying to hold an infected family for ransom by blocking off the medical authorities. This display of resolve pierces Catwoman's normal cynicism, and she lends a hand as well, after which Tim returns home.

Laurel & Hardy try to sleep in a rented room. Hardy, suffering from a cold, coughs frequently, while Laurel snores. Both of them have trouble falling asleep because of this. They try to solve their problems, but this results in total chaos. The owner of the room (played by Charlie Hall) threatens to throw them out. When the duo are back in their room, their air mattress is filled up accidentally with gas and blown up so big that Stan and Ollie are pressed against the ceiling. After they have realized the trouble they are in, they start to panic, at which point Oliver sneezes and the mattress explodes.The hotel owner and police officers enter the room and Oliver sneezes again collapsing the ceiling.

Laurel and Hardy are employed as repossession men for the local sheriff's office. They are given the challenging task of repossessing a radio owned by Collis P. Kennedy, described as a tough customer, who has not paid any installments since 1921. Kennedy first chases Laurel and Hardy off his property with a toy bulldog. Then he barricades himself in his home, thwarting all efforts by the repo men to enter and recover the radio. When a wayward rifle shot by Kennedy knocks the top off a nearby fire hydrant and soaks a policeman, the cop investigates. Laurel and Hardy, with the officer's assistance, are finally permitted to enter Kennedy's house and take the radio. It is abandoned in the street, however, while Kennedy and the repo men exchange kicks. A steamroller from a construction site comes along and flattens the unattended radio. Moments later, Mrs. Kennedy arrives and happily tells her husband that she has paid the outstanding debt. The radio—now in pieces—is theirs. As Laurel and Hardy both laugh at Kennedy's misfortune, the steamroller returns and flattens their car too.

The story is set in 22nd-century Scotland, which has been warped by radioactive fallout where mutants are the underclass of future Britain. McNulty grew up in the Scottish mutant ghetto called Shytehill (a reference to Sighthill - the Scottish slang term for shit is 'shite').

Middenface gets his nickname from his signature mutation – his skull is covered in hard, knobby bumps which range in size, number and density depending on the artist. Although this mutation is usually portrayed in the comics as purely cosmetic, there have been instances where Middenface shows to have an unnaturally hard skull. Either dealing blows with it or sustaining blows to it that would kill a normal man.

Like all the members of the Search/Destroy agency he is a seasoned guerrilla fighter. He has had experience in fighting for his life, leading attacks, and defending himself and others against fanatical hatred and violence since the age of ten.

He first appeared in ''Portrait of a Mutant'', the Scottish leader of the rebels in the mutant war and an ally of a young Johnny Alpha. After the war, he became a Search Destroy Agent and first appeared in the present day in ''Outlaw''; he appeared infrequently after this, and after the death of Johnny's partner Wulf Sternhammer, McNulty would become Johnny's new partner in many strips. Initially, he had a running gag of his Scottish dialect being incomprehensible to the English characters but this would be dialed down – his hooligan ways would continue to be a source of humour though.

In "The Life and Death of Johnny Alpha" in 2010, a retired Middenface was shown with a genuine drinking problem following Johnny Alpha's death.

A stray goat wanders away from a pet store and attaches itself to Laurel and Hardy after they kindly feed her doughnuts. The goat follows them everywhere. They are forced to bring it into their apartment and are not particularly effective at hiding it from their suspicious and outraged landlord. The comedy culminates with a hilarious water fight involving Stan and Ollie, the landlord, a fellow tenant, and a policeman.

Priscilla is married to an artist called Leon. However Leon isn't showing much interest in his wife so she hatches a plot to win back his affections. Ollie plays the butler. Stan arrives at the door to sell paint and has a fight with Ollie. Priscilla employs Stan to "Make love to her" and ensure Leon becomes jealous. Ollie has to wash and dress Stan and make him look presentable enough to fool Leon at a dinner party that night. Priscilla admits to Leon what she has done and he pulls a gun to teach the 'home-wrecker' a lesson. Leon corners Stan and admits he's just acting to make Priscilla think he's really jealous. Ollie doesn't realise this and he chases Stan out of the house with a rifle. Ollie returns looking shaken. A police officer follows him and says "You nearly blew my brains out". Leon and Priscilla hug.

The scene opens in the duo's flat at night time. Stan complains that he has a toothache. Ollie goes to the bathroom to get him a hot-water bottle and keeps stepping on a tack which is lying around. When Stan gets the water bottle, the lid opens and the water pours out in the bed. The two of them make much noise and the landlord (Charlie Hall) comes in, telling them that they will have to leave first thing in the morning.

The next day, Stan is in the dentist office, but is too afraid to get his tooth pulled. The dentist leaves and Ollie demonstrates how Stan should sit and not be afraid. Meanwhile, the dentist tells one of his partners that he should go to the guy who is sitting in the chair and pull his tooth out. He ended up pulling Ollie's tooth. When Stan is back in the chair, he knocks over a gas cartridge which makes everyone laugh.

Stan and Ollie leave the office and go to their car, still laughing their heads off from the gas.

After their presumed defeat, the evil alien forces launch a surprise attack against the Aero Fighters' base, effectively destroying their aircraft. Unable to counter the attack, they must use old World War II-era warplanes with strange modifications, in a desperate scramble for victory.

In this series, the mirror from the original ''Mirror, Mirror'' series has come into the hands of two other New Zealand families: the de Lutrelles and the McFarlanes. They both live in the same house, but are separated from each other by 130 years.

de Lutrelle family

Gervaise, Violette and their daughter Constance, live in the house in 1867, in that time the house is surrounded by goldfields. The family had emigrated from their home in France with vestiges of their wealth. They hope to find gold in the surrounding hills so they can restore their family's high status.

McFarlane family

Doug, Jenny and his two new stepchildren, live in the house in 1997. The troublesome Aunt Lily also lives with them. Doug, who left Daniel and his mother when he was a baby, agrees to have him come to visit from Sydney, Australia to connect and rekindle their relationship over the holidays, despite Doug's hesitation and Daniel's reticence at first.

In the space above Earth, the Deus Machina Aeon clashes with another unknown machine but due to its lack of a "master" it is defeated and crashes on the surface of the planet. Meanwhile, a starving Kurou Daijūji attempts to acquire food from a local church run by Sister Leica, a nun that he has known since he first moved to the city several years prior to the events of the story. The next day, Kurou is approached by Ruri Hadou, the current head of the Hadou Financial Group and her butler, Winfield. Ruri offers Kurou a job, citing his familiarity with the occult through his studies at the Miskatonic University: to procure a grimoire. Unable to refuse the generous pay she is offering, Kurou agrees and begins searching immediately.

The search for an authentic grimoire is fruitless, until Kurou happens upon a previously unknown bookstore with several powerful books. Unfortunately he is turned away by the store's owner, Nya, who cryptically states that a far more powerful grimoire is meant for him. This prediction is later proven true when a mysterious girl falls out of the sky onto him, subsequently introduced as Al-Azif, the physical manifestation of the Necronomicon, one of the most powerful grimoires in existence. Kurou is then attacked by her pursuers, the Black Lodge, under the command of the mad scientist Doctor West and forced by circumstances to enter into a contract with the grimoire. Doctor West retreats, only to return in one of his giant Destroyer Robots. Kurou escapes with the aid of Metatron, a masked hero that wages a one-man war against the Black Lodge, and stumbles upon an underground hangar containing an imitation Deus Machina, Demonbane. After commandeering the mech amidst the protests of its owner, Ruri, Kurou and Al-Azif (or Al, for short) are able to defeat the Destroyer Robot.

Although initially incensed at the prospect of someone outside the Hadou family piloting Demonbane, Ruri agrees to employ Kurou as the Deus Machina's pilot. Al wants to begin instructing him in the use of sorcery immediately, but before he has a chance to prepare, Kurou is attacked by the leader of the Black Lodge, Master Therion. Kurou is immediately overpowered but his use of Demonbane forces Therion to reveal his own grimoire: the Pnakotic Manuscripts, also known as Etheldreda. Therion spares Kurou's life, claiming that Kurou is the only individual who can alleviate his boredom, and vanishes. Kurou then begins training in sorcery while simultaneously searching for and recapturing pages that Al has lost. These pages eventually take on a life of their own and threaten the population, forcing him to subdue them physically before Al can reconstitute herself. Kurou's interference in the Black Lodge's operations causes Master Therion to send two of his elite Anticross sorcerers, Titus and Tiberius, to attack the Hadou headquarters directly. Doctor West also repeatedly attempts to make up for his failure to capture the Necronomicon, assisted by a self-aware gynoid of his own creation named Elsa. In one incident, West and Elsa are able to steal the pages relating to the Scimitar of Barzai and use them to create a copy of Demonbane that is subsequently defeated.

The story then moves to the coastal town of Innsmouth where Ruri has brought Kurou, Al, the Demonbane support team, and Leica on a beach holiday. Sensing the presence of evil on an island off the coast, Kurou and Al begin investigating, accompanied by the rest of the group. On the way they are attacked by Deep Ones and separated but each of the group is able to make their way to the island individually where they discover the inhabitants of Innsmouth, all Deep Ones themselves, performing a ritual to revive their god, Dagon. Overseeing them is another of the Anticross, Vespasianus, along with another powerful grimoire, the R'lyeh Text. The ritual fails but Dagon is revived in an incomplete, bestial state. The monster is only defeated when Demonbane channels the raw power of the Great Old One Cthugha, which nearly kills Kurou. Kurou is later able to acquire Al's pages concerning another Great Old One, Ithaqua, and obtains a pair of handguns that serve as conduits for their power from a mysterious individual known to the Black Lodge as the Tyrant.

In the meantime, it is revealed that both the Necronomicon and the Tyrant are essential to a major Black Lodge undertaking, the C Project, but Master Therion appears unconcerned by the fact that his underlings have had no success in capturing either of them. He placates the Anticross by explaining that he can use the Pnakotic Manuscripts in place of the Necronomicon and himself in place of the Tyrant but they remain unconvinced and plot rebellion behind his back. Finally, when the stars are right, the Black Lodge begins a ritual that raises their secret headquarters, the Illusionary Heart Mother, into the sky. They then reveal their full plan, using the R'lyeh Text to summon and bind another of the Great Old Ones: Cthulhu. Using an army of Destroyer Robots and the wave of insanity that accompanies the summoning, the Black Lodge lays waste to Arkham City. The Anticross betray Master Therion at the climax of the battle, seemingly destroying him along with Etheldreda, while Doctor West defects, disgusted by the perceived misuse of his technology. While Demonbane is able to drive off the Destroyer Robots, the Illusionary Heart Mother is able to teleport away, the Anticross having gained control over Cthulhu through a series of emergency measures.

The Hadou Group is able to locate the missing fortress at 47°9′S 126°43′W and mobilises a multinational taskforce through its connections to begin an attack. While they engage Cthulhu's forces in the sea, Demonbane is able to penetrate the fortress' defences and defeat the remaining Anticross. Master Therion then reveals himself, reborn as a result of his unique parentage; his father is the Outer God Yog-Sothoth and the true purpose of the C Project was to sacrifice Cthulhu as the catalyst of a ritual to summon it. Yog-Sothoth, the Gate and the Key, would then act as a portal through which the Outer Gods could then invade the physical universe. Therion challenges Kurou to follow him through the gate and, after saying his goodbyes, Kurou accepts. Demonbane then battles Therion's Deus Machina, Liber Legis, throughout time and space leading to a clash between the most powerful weapon in each mech's possession: the Shining Trapezohedron. Liber Legis is defeated but Al is finally able to access the totality of her sealed knowledge and discovers the identity of the one who orchestrated all of the story's events: Nya, also known as the Outer God Nyarlathotep. Kurou and Al battle the god and defeat it, preventing the destruction of reality. Nyarlathotep acknowledges its defeat but points out that it can always return with another scheme, leaving Demonbane becalmed in time and space.

Lily Bridge, a young journalist, arrives at Arkham City, hoping to find a big scoop. However, with all the strange things occurring around the city, only the exceptional findings are news-worthy, such as the mysterious mecha known as Demonbane. However, upon finding a small piece of machinery that seemed to be connected with the Hadou Combine, Lily is determined to find the truth. Little does she know, she enters into a dark world, involving herself with Demonbane and the powerful forces that control the city.

Kuro Daijuuji is a poor detective living in Arkham City. One day, he is asked by Ruri Hado of Hado Financial Group, to search for a magic grimoire. As Kuro searches for the book, he unexpectedly runs into Al Azif, a pretty girl who turns out to be the grimoire Kuro is searching for. While being chased by the Black Lodge, Al forges a contract with Kuro, bestowing him with powerful magic. Soon afterwards, Al also activates Demonbane, a Deus Machina owned by the Hado Financial Group, to combat the mechanical menace from the Black Lodge. With this, the war between the Hado Financial Group and the Black Lodge begins ...

While playing spin the bottle / seven minutes in heaven at a party in 1985, 10-year-old Charlie "Chuck" Logan refuses the sexual advances of a goth girl named Anisha Carpenter. In retaliation, Anisha places a hex on Chuck, saying that once a girl has been with him, "to the next she will be true".

In the present, Chuck is a successful dentist, running a practice in the office opposite his best friend Stu's plastic surgery business. While being sexually intimate with his girlfriend Carol, Chuck cannot reply that he loves her too, prompting her to immediately break up with him. Stu and Chuck attend the wedding of one of Chuck's ex-girlfriends, Katie. During the reception, Katie toasts Chuck for being her lucky charm, which gains the interest of his female tablemates. Chuck becomes enamored with Cam Wexler, an unusually clumsy, yet attractive and friendly penguin scientist working at a marine mammal park.

The next day, Chuck's office is full of women. He asks Stu if anything's different about him; they also find that Carol is engaged thanks to Chuck being a lucky charm. His date that evening wants to have sex with him because of the charm, but he gets an emergency call from Cam, who chipped her tooth in a work accident at the penguin exhibit. He fixes her tooth, but instead of accepting monetary payment, he asks her out for dinner, but Cam declines as she is not emotionally ready. He returns home to find his receptionist Reba coming onto him hoping he will be her lucky charm.

Stu encourages Chuck to indulge in more "guilt-free sex", and Chuck does so. However, he still has feelings for Cam, and asks her out. Chuck and Cam's relationship deepens, but when Stu calls Chuck and tells him that every single woman Chuck had slept with has gotten married, Chuck gets cold feet and leaves.

Stu and Chuck test the curse on an ugly, obese woman named Eleanor. Meanwhile, Chuck pretends to be sick and maintains a distance relationship with Cam by phone and by computer video. Observing that Eleanor has not seen anyone, Chuck makes Stu ask her out. After Stu confirms he did that and that Eleanor hasn't fallen for him, Chuck rushes to Cam's place and they have sex. The next morning, when Chuck sees Eleanor on TV happily kissing another man, he angrily calls Stu, who admits he only pretended to ask her out. Worried that Cam will now find her true love, Chuck smothers her in increasingly annoying ways, until Cam eventually dumps him. While talking with Reba, Chuck sees a bottle spinning on the ground; he and Stu locate Anisha's home. Chuck asks Anisha to dismiss the curse, but Anisha reveals to Chuck that the curse was not truly real, and that her love back then was just a childhood crush. She encourages him to let go of the girl he is interested in, if he truly loves her.

Chuck arranges for Cam to meet Howard Blaine, the penguin expert author that Cam admires. Later, Stu and his new three-breasted fiancée Lara tell Chuck that Cam is heading to Antarctica with Howard. Chuck catches her on the plane and pleads her not to go, but Cam explains that she will be back on Wednesday and she is going with both Howard and his wife. He leaves her with a ring box with a pebble, a reference to a previous discussion about what a penguin would do to court a lifetime mate. Cam calls back for Chuck and they kiss. Meanwhile, Anisha pulls out her old childhood occult keepsake box, and removes a pin from a voodoo doll of Chuck. A year later, Chuck and Cam are in Antarctica together looking at the southern lights while being surrounded by penguins.

During the closing credits, the housesitting Stu and Lara find a sex tape involving Chuck, Cam, and a stuffed penguin.

Stan Laurel and Oliver Hardy return to America after fourteen years of voluntary exile to find jobs. Ollie has worked as a mediocre cook and Stan has served as a butler for many years. Upon their return they find that there are just as many people looking for servants now, because of the war's workforce shortage, as there were unemployed in 1932, because of the Depression.

Both men get hired by a wealthy woman named Elvira Hawkley, who is in desperate need of help to prepare for a big formal dinner she is hosting in the evening. The guest of honour at the dinner is none other than the young exiled King Christopher of Orlandia.

Before the dinner, Christopher tells his guardian, Prince Saul, that he wants to know more about the life of the common man in America. His biggest dream is to play American football for Notre Dame. Saul arranges for Ronetz, his Assistant, to take the young King for a walk, so that an 'accident' can happen to him. Christopher is unaware that Saul is planning to murder him and take over the throne.

When Christopher and Ronetz reach the park, Ronetz excuses himself to make way for the two assassins he has hired to kill the king. Christopher happens to hear a football game nearby, and whilst there sees one of the players sent home by his mother. Christopher offers to take the missing player's place, but it turns out the game's referee has also quit. Stan and Ollie happen to pass by the game with groceries they have bought for the evening dinner, and Christopher persuades them to be referees in the game.

Christopher has never played football before, and his first contact with the ball is not so successful, as he fumbles and drops the ball. With the help of the incompetent referees, Christopher picks up his game and actually manage to score a touchdown that wins the match, partly because the other team's boys bounce off Ollie's body as he runs alongside, refereeing. Christopher is overjoyed with his own performance, and thankful again to the very helpful referees.

Ollie and Stan discover that they have forgotten to buy the dinner's steak, and can't buy one now, as they have spent all the money they were given by Elvira; they blame each other. They see a lion at the nearby zoo being fed a big steak, and decide to try and steal it for the dinner. Christopher is not aware that Stan and Ollie are working where Saul is to be the guest. While Stan and Ollie argue about who will actually take the steak from the lion, equally afraid of being eaten themselves, Christopher steps in and snatches the steak away from the lion, which has been distracted by Stans being so afraid that he's jumped up on top of a wall.

The three soon arrive at Elvira's building, and although Christopher asks to stay, because he says his Uncle beats him, Stan and Ollie are reluctantly forced to say no because they have to attend to the function; but Christopher sneaks in. Discovering him, they allow him to stay. Soon, Christopher discovers the incompetence of the two servants and tries to teach Stan the proper etiquette in a rehearsal for the formal dinner. He fails in his mission, and instead offers to help by hiding under the dinner table and to give instructions to Stan from there during the dinner, by using his hand to tap on Stan's foot.

But it turns out that the steak is made of horse meat, and however they try to cut it, they can't; not even with a two-man saw!

Saul explains that Christopher is missing at the dinner because of illness, but is soon made aware by Ronetz that he is in fact not dead, but missing. Saul excuses himself and leaves the practically inedible dinner. Elvira goes into the kitchen and fires Stan and Ollie on the spot because of their poor performance. She discovers Christopher in the kitchen, but doesn't know he's the king. She throws all three out, and they take their refuge at a mission. A tramp there recognizes Christopher from a picture in the papers, and alerts the police, thinking that he's been kidnapped by Stan and Ollie.

The police arrive, and arrest them; but later, Christopher demands they be hired as his help, and the charges are dropped. Saul sees an opportunity to use the two dimwits as pawns in order to kill Christopher. Ronetz puts poison in the salad Ollie tells him is reserved for Christopher, as it's the largest. But Stan and Ollie disagree about which one the largest is, and the plates are then mixed-up on the tray, so there's then no telling who's got the poisoned one.

An argument ensues between Saul and Ronetz because of the mixup and Christopher overhears them, finding out about the attempt to kill him. Christopher goes to tell Ollie and Stan, Saul follows, and pulls a gun on the three in the kitchen, and forces them out onto the skyscraper's ledge, trying to make them jump and take their own lives.

Ollie notices the hanging boards being used by the painters below, which Christopher uses. Before Ollie and Stan dare to jump after him, the boards are pulled back, but Stan and Ollie are left hanging after falling, with Stan dangling high up above the street, hanging onto Ollie's trousers. Christopher manages to get down to the street and fetch the police, who arrive just in time to rescue them.

Before Saul had managed to count to ten, at which time the Stan and Ollie were to jump, or to be shot, he'd eaten the poison Ollie had innocently removed from the poisoned salad, had placed on a titbit, and had stopped counting: at number 9; he's carried out on a stretcher from the apartment.

The story ends happily with Christopher, Oliver and Stan singing the Notre Dame victory march, together with the two policemen.

While attempting to steal back an important work of art, Shedara discovers that the lord of the keep has been attacked and is dying. He mistakes her for a friend and mutters "The Hooded One" before he dies from his mortal but bloodless wounds. After returning to Armach-nesti and discussing the event with the Voice of the Stars, she is sent on another mission to retrieve the Hooded One, a statue of an evil Emperor of Aurim, Maladar the Faceless. Maladar's soul has been imprisoned in the statue and evil forces are at work to try to free him.

Meanwhile, across the Tiderun, on the plains north of Coldhope Keep, Hult has discovered that the Uigan leader, their Bolya, has been ambushed. Chovuk and Hult look for the Boyla, and discover that he is still alive. Chovuk kills the Boyla, to be named the next Boyla. Hult later discovers that Chovuk has been learning evil sorcery from a black robed mage, known only as the Teacher. Chovuk fights the other contestant for the position of Boyla, and wins because he used sorcery to shape change into steppe-tiger. The tribes have a superstition that the steppe-tiger is the avatar of their god, and so embrace Chovuk as the new Boyla. Chovuk recruits the goblins, as well as an elf, Eldako, from the wild elf tribes to help him attack the Imperial League. They burn, sack, and massacre the towns and villages of the Imperial League north of the Tiderun, while they wait for the moons to sink below the horizon, so that the Tiderun will become dry.

In the Imperial League south of the Tiderun, Forlo is returning from many long years of war, when he discovers that the capital has been damaged by an earthquake, and that the emperor and almost all of his immediate blood relatives are dead. He also finds out that the keeper of the peace is Duke Rekhaz. Forlo meets Duke Rekhaz, and Rekhaz wants Forlo to help command his army, so that Rekhaz can defeat any opponents vying for the throne. However, Forlo has a writ of dismissal from the now dead emperor, so he refuses to serve, which angers Rekhaz. Forlo returns home, to discover a pirate raiding in his waters, whom he had previously signed a treaty with. He discovers that the pirate raided the ship only because the ship was carrying artifacts that hadn't been taxed, and the owner of the ship was a rich merchant. In return for raiding the ship, the pirate gives Forlo a statue. After taking it home, he finds out that his wife is pregnant, and that they both feel the statue's menacing presence. He decides to have it moved into the family vaults under the keep.

Shedara discovers that the statue was stolen from a merchant, and that it has ended up in the hands of Barreth Forlo. She attempts to steal the statue, but is trapped and captured by Forlo's guards. Forlo questions her, but she refuses to answer and he has her locked up in a tower. He learns that the Uigan are preparing to cross the Tiderun, and attack his fief. He calls for aid from Rekhaz, but Rekhaz questions his loyalty. Rekhaz agrees to give Forlo only six hundred men if he agrees to rejoin the army. Forced to act, Forlo agrees. Later, Grath, a friend of Forlo's and the current commander of the Sixth Legion agrees to help Forlo. He decides to send the Sixth Legion to help Forlo, but they still can't hold the fief. He then questions Shedara again, and agrees to give her the statue if she will contact Armach-nesti to send aid. She contacts Armach-nesti, but discovers that the evil forces intent on capturing the statue have murdered the Voice of the Stars and all her people. Forlo tells her she's free to go, but she still wants to help him, so she forces Maladar to send a gigantic wave over the barbarian horde. The barbarian horde is destroyed, and she manages to force Maladar back into the statue.

A small remainder of the Uigan horde is still alive, as well as Eldako, the Boyla, and Hult. The horde doesn't present much resistance and are easily defeated by Forlo and his men, however, the elf escapes. The Boyla turns back into a human because the evil forces betrayed him, so he becomes mad. He fights Forlo in an attempt to regain his honor, but Forlo kills him. The Boyla's protector, Hult, decides not to avenge his master and instead follows Forlo. Forlo discovers that Grath was killed during the fighting and that the Uigan were sent as a diversion so that the keep would be unprotected. Forlo, Shedara, and Hult return to the keep only to discover that Essana has been kidnapped, the statue is missing and the only thing left behind is a dragon's scale.

Stan and Ollie are musicians travelling across the country as "The Original Zoot Suit Band". En route to their next gig, their car runs out of gas and they are rescued by Chester Wright, an inventor who has perfected a pill which will turn water into gas (in reality he is a small-time con man who simply switches a water canister with a canister of gas when the duo aren't looking).

The trio make a plan to travel to the next town "Midvale" and after using Stan and Ollie's music to attract a crowd Chester takes the opportunity to sell his "miracle pill" to the masses and make a fortune. As Stan and Ollie play, Chester makes the acquaintance of a young choir singer named Susan. The trio's sales pitch is initially a success but their scam is soon uncovered when a customer returns after having poured the "gasoline" into the fuel tank of his car and ended up in a nasty accident. Chester prevents the angry mob from attacking Stan and Ollie by posing as a police officer arriving on the scene to arrest Stan and Ollie. Susan jumps on the back of the trio's trailer after realizing Chester still has her purse that she asked him to hold. As Susan and Chester get to know each other, Susan tells Chester that her mother was recently conned out of a large amount of money by a gang who want to use the money to bet on a big horse race. Chester has a hunch that he may know the gang and with the aid of Stan and Ollie agrees to help Susan get her mother's money back.

The group returns to the town and posing as out-of-town businessmen, check into the same hotel where Henry Corcoran, the leader of the con men, is staying. In plain view of Corcoran, Ollie (going under the name "Colonel Watterson Bixby") pretends to deposit $20,000 in the hotel safe to make the gang think that Ollie is incredibly wealthy. Corcoran instructs his girlfriend Dorcas to seduce "Colonel Watterson Bixby" in her hotel room, but she accidentally ends up inviting Stan instead. When Ollie enters the hotel room, a drunken Stan thinking that it is Corcoran hides under the couch and becomes increasingly more intoxicated while he is hiding. Corcoran finally enters the room and Ollie pretends to be an undercover police officer sent to arrest Corcoran for swindling Susan's mother out of her money. Thinking he is about to be sent to jail, Corcoran agrees to give the stolen money back but reveals he only has half of the $10,000 and his partner, a man named Bennett, has the other half. Corcoran attempts to shoot Ollie and Chester but is pulled to the ground by Stan and thrown in the closet by Ollie and Chester.

The group then begin their next plan to get the other half of the money by having Susan get a job as a singer at the club on board a boat run by Bennett. They then have Stan dress as a woman and pose as Susan's rich aunt and convince Bennett to invest in a show at his club which they say will make him a fortune and will only require a combined $10,000 investment from him and Susan's aunt, which agrees to. The two agree to place $5000 apiece in an envelope and place it in a safe.

Bennett goes to a colleague of his, Tony Queen in order to loan the $5000 to put into the show, as he plans on stealing the envelope and keeping the $10,000 for himself. Unbeknownst to Bennett, the group plan to switch the envelopes and escape with Bennett's $5000. Stan and Ollie successfully switch Bennett's $5000 and give it to Chester to put in the hotel safe. However, when the gang realize they have been conned, they capture Stan, Ollie and Susan. They search the hotel for Chester but he is nowhere to be found, giving Stan, Ollie and Susan the impression that he was only using them to get the money for himself.

The trio are taken to Bennett's club where Susan is forced back into work as a singer and dancer, and Stan and Ollie are put to work in the engine room. They manage to escape after one of the guards takes one of Chester's gas pills thinking it is for indigestion and floats to the ceiling. Stan and Ollie rescue Susan but the guard accidentally lands on the controls of the ship which send it speeding out to sea, nearly hitting several other ships.

The police arrive with Chester to arrest the gang. Susan scolds Chester for running off with the money but Chester clarifies that he left the hotel to wire the money to her mother immediately, showing her a receipt as proof. Stan and Ollie arrive on deck to see Susan and Chester kiss before leaving the ship. The duo plan to leave the ship as well but suddenly the remaining gangsters come around the corner and Stan and Ollie leap overboard in order to escape.

The 4-part series focuses on the superhero '''Star Fighter''' and his archenemy '''Underlord''', as well as roommates '''Ethan''' and '''Vincent'''. They just happen to be the same people, though neither Ethan (Star Fighter) nor Vincent (Underlord) are aware of that fact.

Ethan and Vincent are each horrible roommates, though they are unable to give up their apartment in order to escape the other. Ethan's a slob who likes throwing parties simply to annoy Vincent. Vincent is creepy. Vincent most likely hates Ethan more than he ever could hate Star Fighter.

At the same time as they're fighting between each other (in both their identities), Vincent is attempting to become a member of The Masked Circle, a secret society of supervillains that both his father and brother already belong to.

In a land far away, the two princes—Richard (of the Custard Kingdom) and the game's main protagonist (prince of the Sablé Kingdom)—have shared a friendly rivalry since they were small children. They often compete, although it usually ends in a tie or close win. In Fencing however, Prince Richard is always the victor. One day a messenger arrives from a small neighboring kingdom, warning the princes that the evil King Delarin has invaded the Mille-Feuille Kingdom and captured the beautiful princess Tiramisu. In yet another boastful attempt to best the Sablé Prince, Richard grabs a boat and rushes towards the kingdom. The Sablé Prince is left trying to catch up. While on his journey, he and Richard (along with others) are transformed into frogs in an attempt to reveal the true happenings in this kingdom.

Major characters

• The '''Prince of Sablé''' (sometimes referred to as '''Prince Sabure''', '''Prince of Sabure''', '''Prince Sablé''', '''Sablé Prince''', '''Prince Sable''' or '''Prince of Sable''') - The main protagonist of the game (named at the beginning by the player). He is a good-natured and kindhearted boy, though he's not educated in the ways of world. He always loses against Prince Richard when they fence. Carefree in nature, they remain friends nonetheless. The kingdom of Sablé, being the wealthiest and most powerful nation in the land, has provided him with a comfortable life so far; he has never had to worry about money. This upbringing has had the side-effect of giving the Sablé Prince the idea that any problem can somehow be solved by tossing cash at it, which he does many times in the game. Through drinking two potions brewed by the witch Mandola, he gains the ability to transform into a frog and a snake and must use these transformations to progress.
• '''Prince Richard''' - He is the prince of the Custard Kingdom. The Sablé Prince is his good rival and childhood friend. During the course of the game, the Sablé Prince and Richard will both compete to save Princess Tiramisu first. Through strange events, he is transformed into a frog, along with his entire army.
• '''Princess Tiramisu''' - She rules the Mille-Feuille Kingdom. The legend of her unequaled beauty has spread far and wide through the land. Seeking her hand (forcibly) in marriage, King Delarin and his minions, the Croakians, have invaded the countryside and laid siege to the castle. The princess goes mysteriously missing.
• '''Jam''' - A thief from the town of A La Mode. He was hostile to the Sablé Prince at first, thinking he was a member of the Croakian Army. Their second meeting involved him stealing all of the Sablé Prince's money. Eventually the two realized the misunderstanding, and became friendly with each other. He wears an eyepatch and resembles a pirate. He is also transformed into a frog by Mandola.
• '''Mandola''' - A witch who wears glasses. She alone knows how to destroy King Delarin and restore the kingdom. She has an Aasvogel, a condor-like bird named Polnareff as a pet. She also knows how to brew magic potions. At the end of the game, it is revealed that Mandola was actually the form Princess Tiramisu assumed in order to go into hiding.
• '''Lord Delarin''' - He is the title's antagonist. He has captured Princess Tiramisu and released the Croakian army to wreak havoc within the Mille-Feuille Kingdom. It is later revealed that he is in fact a snake and plans to round up all the frogs in the kingdom for a feast.
• '''Mad Scienstein''' - (Dr. Ivan Knit in the fan translation) Works as a scientist at Nantendo Inc. He has a love for wasabi and creates multiple inventions to help Prince Sable, most notably the Ikari-Z, a rideable mech that may be called by playing the Z-Flute.

An eccentric, unsociable young man is forced by his mother to make some friends before she will return his stereo to him. He is joined on a trip through a desert by a pyramid scheme salesman, to assist in finding a location to bury a frozen cat.

Oliver Hardy and Stan Laurel are vagrants being chased by the police. They hide in the cellar of the mansion of a Quatermain-esque adventurer, Colonel Wilberforce Buckshot (James Finlayson), and get trapped there. The colonel is not home, having just departed for a safari in South Africa. The mansion is to be rented out until his return, but the staff sneak off for a holiday, leaving the house empty. The mansion is surrounded by several policeman who are looking for Stan and Ollie, and the duo has to deceive a rich couple wanting to rent the house. Ollie disguises himself as Buckshot and Stan disguises himself as both butler Hives and chambermaid Agnes.

During a girl-talk scene with Thelma Todd and Stan (disguised as Agnes the maid), Stan's comments become increasingly sillier and somewhat risqué. The real Colonel unexpectedly returns to fetch his bow and arrows, to find the disorder that had ensued after his departure. Ollie continues his masquerade as Colonel Buckshot to the real colonel, until he sees the portrait on the wall of the real owner. The colonel calls the police for assistance. Stan and Ollie escape the ensuing row dressed as a wildebeest on a stolen tandem bicycle. They ride into a railroad tunnel and encounter a tram, but emerge riding unicycles, the idea being that the tram had knocked the bike in half.

Stan and Ollie are two sailors on leave who happen upon two attractive girls strolling through a park. The sailors invite the ladies for a soda, but soon realize that they only have enough money for three people. Ollie spends an eternity trying to explain this fact to Stan, who cannot grasp that either he or Ollie will have to forgo a soda. When they finally purchase three sodas, with the plan to share one between Stan and Ollie in which Stan swallows both shares, the price is twice that previously thought. Ollie gets Stan back for drinking his half of the soda by leaving him to pay the check. Realizing he does not have enough and that he has nothing to lose, Stan deposits a coin in a slot machine in the soda shop and ends up hitting the jackpot.

With excess money in hand, the boys rent a rowing boat with the ladies, which results in an all-out battle-royal with other boaters on the lake, with various canoes getting overturned. Eventually all the people who have fallen into the water clamber into Stan and Ollie's boat, which causes it to sink.

At the advice of a doctor (Billy Gilbert), Stan and Ollie travel to the mountains in order for Ollie to recover from gout. They park their travel trailer (caravan) near a deserted cabin recently occupied by a gang of moonshiners who had been raided and arrested by Prohibition authorities. Before being captured, the moonshiners tried to get rid of their illegal liquor by pouring two full barrels of it into a nearby well. Stan and Ollie now use that same well as their source for drinking water. While making a pot of coffee with the alcohol-laced water, Stan notices it has “a funny color”, but Ollie tastes it and explains that all mountain water is like that. "It's the iron in it", he says, "it's good for your nerves."

A motorist couple who have run out of petrol arrives and asks for help. While the irritable and overbearing husband (played by familiar nemesis Charlie Hall) walks back to his car with Stan's spare can of petrol, the man's wife (Mae Busch), appreciating the boys' affable and respectful manners as a refreshing relief from her husband's crabby belligerence, willingly joins the boys for supper and ladlefuls of the potent "mountain water". The husband returns with the car to find that the three are all roaring drunk, and his anger at Stan and Ollie triggers a "tit for tat" sequence at the end (which happens to also be the name of the "sequel" film). It culminates with the wrecking of the camper, Hall being tarred with molasses and feathered, and with a toilet-plunger stuck to his forehead. Ollie then jumps into the well because his trousers are on fire. The alcohol in the water detonates, causing Ollie's explosive ejection. He then falls to the ground head first and is left half-buried with only his legs exposed and flailing in the air as the film ends.

Phil Blackwood (Selleck) is an American mystery novelist who has fallen into a rut with predictable plots and declining sales. He is floundering attempting to write a new novel, well behind schedule, and wastes time watching trials in court, where he is known as a regular among other regular spectators.

He is stunned when he sees a dazzling Romanian murder suspect named Nina (Porizkova) arraigned in the court. Instantly falling for her, he believes she cannot possibly be a murderer. To assure himself of this, he poses as a Roman Catholic priest in order to meet Nina while she is held pending her bail appearance. Finding her wearing a crucifix necklace (which would be forbidden in her communist homeland), he thinks she's innocent when she does not confess to the murder.

With the help of his friend and literary agent, Sam (Daniels), Blackwood invents an alibi ("We're having an affair.") to secure her release under his custody, and he gets Sam to help. However, after Blackwood succeeds in this, Sam raises the frightening idea that she really might be a murderer, and that Blackwood might be in danger.

Blackwood takes Nina to live under supervision in his house. However, he now finds himself alternatively entranced with her and terrified of her, as he finds himself wondering if she really could be a murderer. For one, she is extraordinarily proficient with throwing knives, as he found when she killed a large insect that was ''very'' close to him. Then there was the incident when she shot him with an arrow, an accident, of course. There are also the mysterious phone calls she makes that he overhears. He becomes so afraid that he decides to barricade his bedroom door, moving furniture up against his door, saying it is part of his exercise regimen. Although he is afraid at times, he is also fascinated, and cannot help himself.

There are plots going on around Blackwood that he does not understand, as the real murders (operatives from Romania's Securitate), are attempting to kidnap Nina. She, too, has her own agenda of arranging the defection of her family to America. Blackwood is stumbling through all of this, as he is inspired to write scenes involving her and his series hero, but expressing the reality of both his attraction to her and his doubts and fears about her in the storyline.

Nina for her part is wondering about this man who has suddenly appeared to help her, and she has doubts about him as well. She eventually finds his manuscript in his office and reads it, and she becomes aware of his feelings and doubts. She is dismayed by his lack of faith in her, since she has begun to truly appreciate him.

This is when she runs away to be at ''The Funeral of Grimaldi'', an event celebrated by clowns to celebrate the life of the famous clown Joseph Grimaldi. This is the climax to the film, when the Romanian agents attempt to grab her, Blackwood rushes to protect her, and her plans to defect all come to a head.

In the afterword to this story line, Nina and her family have successfully defected, Blackwood's book (''Her Alibi'') has been published and become a great success, and Blackwood and Nina have their happily ever after. "But then, do you ''ever'' really know the person you love?" is the final message of the film.

Fanis Iakovides, professor of astronomy and astrophysics, recalls his childhood memories from growing up in Istanbul. When Fanis was 7 years old, his grandfather Vassilis was an owner of a general store with a specialty in spices. He was also a culinary philosopher and his mentor. Fanis grew very attached to his grandfather who would assist with his homework using imaginative techniques. For instance, Vassilis would teach his grandson the planets of the Solar System by showing an illustration of it and replacing the planets with spices. Cinnamon took the place of Venus since according to Vassilis, "like all women, cinnamon is both bitter and sweet". Fanis also fell in love for the first time in his grandfather store's upper floor with a young Turkish girl, Saime.

However, beginning with the Istanbul Pogrom in 1955, through 1978, the ethnic Greek community of Istanbul was reduced from 135,000 to 7,000 by a series of government orchestrated riots, pogroms and deportations. Most of Fanis' family is deported in 1964 with the Ankara government decision to renege on the 1930 Greco-Turkish Ankara Convention, affirming the right of Greek etablis (Greeks who were born and lived in Istanbul but held Greek citizenship) to live and work in Turkey, and most Greek citizens who lived in Constantinople were deported to Greece, despite most never having previously resided there. Since Vassilis was not a dual citizen, he was able to stay behind while his grandson Fanis and his parents were deported to Athens.

Fanis had trouble initially adapting in Greece, constantly trying to spend his time in the kitchen cooking, as it was the only link between him and his homeland. However, this would upset his mother who was afraid that the boy was either severely depressed or a homosexual. Fanis grew from childhood to adulthood, preserving his culinary talents and often offering his secrets of the Politiki Cuisine to those that ask for his help.

As the years passed by, and the tension between Turkey and Greece resolved, grandfather Vassilis made several promises to visit his grandson in Athens but failed to keep them. The reason for the final incompletion of this engagement was his rapidly declining health. Consequently, Fanis returns to Constantinople after three decades to visit his near-death grandfather and also runs into his old love, Saime, who is now married. Together, they reflect on their lives and the way politics managed to change everything.

Fanis will eventually realize that contrary to what his grandfather had taught him, he forgot to put a little bit of "spice in his own life".

Analysis

The main characters easily fit into a parallel metaphor - Saime, the old love of Fanis, a beautiful Turkish girl and multi-lingual tour guide, represents Istanbul (a cosmopolitan city called a "she" in Greek), Fanis is modern Greece, one that is still deeply in love with Constantinople and nostalgic for the past, while Saime's husband is a Turkish military doctor who represents a modern, pragmatic Turkey.

The film has a two-act structure, the first act taking place in the exotic locale of the Himalayas and the second occurring in Los Angeles, California. While the first act takes place in an undisclosed Himalayan country (presumably bordering India), the actors portraying the locals speak Japanese. The movie starts with a scientific expedition intent on collecting botanical samples, led by Dr. Frank Parrish (Paul Langton) and encounters difficulties when the wife of the expedition's chief guide is kidnapped.

The guide, a sherpa named Subra (played by Teru Shimada), seizes the expedition's guns and takes control of the team when he is unable to convince Parrish to pursue the Yeti and save his wife. Parrish, a man of science, is skeptical of the Yeti's existence, but is forced to participate in Subra's march. Along with his fellow westerner (a photographer named Peter Wells, played by Leslie Denison), Parrish awaits his opportunity to overthrow the renegade sherpa. However, as the team draws closer to the Yeti, evidence emerges that begins to change Parrish's opinion regarding the creature's existence (such as the tell-tale “giant footprints”).

Finally, the team makes contact with the snow creature, who hurls stones at them from atop his mountain refuge. The expedition tracks the creature to his cave, where they encounter the creature, along with two other Yetis- a female and young one. The team also discover Subra's wife, who is guarded jealously by the snow creature. Parrish forcibly prevents the enraged Subra from shooting the Yeti, reasoning that the creature is more valuable for science alive. This delays the capture long enough to enable the creature to create a cave-in (presumably to keep his family safe from the humans).

However, the cave-in works against the Yeti, killing the female and young Yetis and knocking the snow creature himself unconscious. The cave-in also enables Parrish and Wells to take control of the sherpa's guns. Having regained control over the expedition and successfully capturing a live Yeti, Parrish declares that he intends to bring the creature to the U.S. to study it.

The Yeti is eventually sedated and placed in a telephone booth-sized freezer for transport. Locked inside this freezer, the Yeti is transported to Bombay and thence to California. In an odd geographic twist, the return flight heads ''west'' from India to California (via TWA) – beginning the second act. Upon reaching Los Angeles, Parrish is greeted by reporters who have been made aware of the creature's existence.

A U.S. Customs official informs Parrish that the admission of this creature to the U.S. has been made difficult by a newspaper article published by Peter Wells that refers to the creature using the term “man”. The issue is raised whether the snow creature is actually human, and the officials decide to keep the creature in quarantine until an anthropologist can determine the question of the creature's humanity. It is during this delay at the airport's customs station that the snow creature manages to escape the icebox (which was apparently meant to confine him temporarily only).

The snow creature roams the city, terrorizing a woman and finding refuge in the cool temperature of the city's sewers as well as meat lockers (where it can also feed). The police, aided by Parrish, manage to track the Yeti through the sewer system to where the creature is caught in a net and grabbed by five men. As the creature resists, it starts to choke one of the men through the mesh. One of the men shoots the creature once, who then stops choking the man. There is a pause after the choked man had been released and then the man with the gun decides to shoot the rare creature with three more slugs just for good measure. Thus, one of the greatest finds of all time is dead.

A group of students desperate for their thesis, including Nicole whose thesis was rejected, was summoned by a mysterious Mrs. Enkanta to solve a mysterious and horrible truth on myths.

The film shows ten years in the life of Anthony Fingleton, from when he was a young boy in the mid-1950s, to the day of the men's 100m backstroke final at the 1964 Summer Olympics. Growing up in Brisbane, Australia, Tony was the second of five children of working-class parents Harold and Dora Fingleton. It was a dysfunctional family, since Harold, the child of an alcoholic mother who had witnessed his mother's degradation as a prostitute when a child, was violent and unable to show equal love to all his children, and favored those showing sporting prowess. He was physically and emotionally abusive, especially toward Tony and Dora. She tried to protect Tony from that abuse which only angered Harold more. The abuse was exacerbated by Harold's alcoholism, which in turn led to frequent difficulties with money as Harold, who worked at the docks only when ships were in port, was often off work, sometimes due to divisive labour unrest on the wharf, and strikes.

Tony was on good terms with most of his siblings, especially "number 3", John. But each of the five children did whatever they needed to do as self-preservation measures against Harold's abuse, sometimes at the expense of harmony with the others. As a refuge, the four youngest felt comfortable in the local pool. It was only when he found out that both Tony and John were good swimmers that Harold began to pay Tony any attention, and became their trainer. But nothing Tony did was ever good enough, Harold spurring on anyone else but Tony, and especially John. Initially the two swam different strokes, freestyle and backstroke, but Harold secretly shifted John to compete directly against his brother in state finals. After losing, Tony responded by training on his own, eventually placing second at the 1962 British Empire and Commonwealth Games, without his father's support - who had by this time become withdrawn and continued to drink. John, meanwhile, abandoned competitive swimming after failing to qualify, and his relationship with Tony remained strained.

Tony wanted to make his father proud, but also revealed to his mother that he saw swimming as a means to an end, a way to escape their life of poverty in Brisbane. This he did after his Commonwealth medal, when his application to Harvard University to enter with a sports scholarship was successful. He was offered a spot on the Australian Olympic team, but chose instead to attend Harvard. The film ends in the pool at Harvard, where he obtains an excellent backstroke time, as his life and family flash before him as he swims. The 1964 Olympics are being aired, with Dawn Fraser competing, and his coach asks him if he would rather have swum there. He replies no, he is "exactly where he wants to be". He has achieved his goal of escape from a dysfunctional childhood and is on track to a successful career, which is hinted in the closing credits.

A small group of fervent Roman Catholics believe Satan intends to become man just as God did in the person of Jesus. Writings from a seemingly-possessed psychiatric patient lead them to Peter Kelson. The group suspect it is Kelson's body Satan has chosen to occupy. The youngest of the group, Maya Larkin, meets Peter to investigate further and try to convince him of embodied evil. Other signs come to Kelson as he and Maya take a journey full of strange occurrences, self-discovery and a mediocre showdown.

Maerad and Cadvan continue the search for the Treesong, the key to Maerad's destiny, while fleeing from Enkir, the First Bard of Norloch, who had broken Milana, Maerad's mother, and sold them both into slavery. Maerad and Cadvan sail with a friend called Owan d'Aroki to the Mycenean Greece-like island of Thorold. Enkir sends a sea serpent in pursuit, which the two Bards kill. Having arrived on the island, they enter the Bardic School of Busk. Maerad continues her Bardic training that had been stopped abruptly in Innail, learning about imagery, illusions, and additional fighting skills, which improve readily. Cadvan studies records in Busk's extensive library, but finds nothing by which to explain the nature of the Treesong.

Soon, Busk receives a messenger from Norloch who reveals that Enkir has claimed the authority of High King over all the Seven Kingdoms, and demands the Schools' undivided fealty. Busk, rather than submit to Norloch or be counted its enemies, pledge their "unwavering allegiance to the Light", rather than to Enkir; thus placing themselves beyond either possibility. Later, at a seasonal festival commemorating the Bards' New Year, Busk's First Bard Nerili succumbs to a 'darkness' within herself, which puts her into a trauma that prevents her creation of the ceremonial "Tree of Light". Cadvan intervenes, salvaging the ceremony; however, Nerili's experience suggests that the power of the evil Nameless One is increasing, and that it is more insidious than in his previous attacks upon humanity.

Maerad and Cadvan decide to leave the School of Busk, as it is not safe for them to stay, and instead travel a long and arduous route into the island's mountainous interior, accompanied by the Bard Elenxi. Elenxi guides the two to his goatherd brother Ankil, who is Nerili's grandfather. Maerad and Cadvan adapt to an agrarian lifestyle, continuing Maerad's training in their spare time. In so doing, they learn that Maerad is capable of feats of transformation beyond the abilities of any other Bard, as demonstrated when she literally changes a boulder into a lion. Such abilities are attributed to her Elidhu (faerie) ancestry. At one point, Ankil reveals a story wherein one mortal king stole a song of the world's harmony from the Elidhu, splitting it in half, and by doing so brought misery. Cadvan assumes this man to be Sharma, who would later become the Nameless One, but is subsequently suggested to be wrong.

When word reaches them that they are no longer safe, Maerad and Cadvan leave Ankil. Accompanied by Elenxi, they traverse an unfrequented path to a port where they may sail with Owan to the mainland. ''En route'', they are attacked by a Hull (a sorcerer corrupted by evil magic), who renders Elenxi insensate and holds Maerad's power under his control by use of an appropriately named "blackstone", which copies her magic's energetic signature and enables him to manipulate it. In spite of this, Maerad uses her Elidhu power to change him into a rabbit. Cadvan thence captures and kills the rabbit, leaving him to corrode. Maerad and Cadvan then awaken Elenxi.

The two of them take leave of Elenxi at the coast of Thorold, from which they then embark for the mainland. While they are on the ocean, Cadvan, Maerad, and Owan are attacked by a monstrous "stormdog"; a huge, ferocious, wild manifestation of the storm's fury, shaped vaguely like an enormous hound. In attempting to use her magic against it in Cadvan's aid, Maerad suddenly understands the stormdog's true nature, and therefore calms it rather than frighten it away. Thereafter the three humans make the journey safely to land.

On the mainland, Cadvan and Maerad stay for some days and nights (possibly less than a week) at the Bardic School of Ghent. Here, Maerad's training is not pursued as it was on Thorold; but they are treated as honored guests. Maerad soon befriends their host Gahal's daughter Lyla, who while not a Bard has skill in the art of medicine. Because her now dead suitor Dernhil was born at Ghent, Maerad is often reminded of him.

Owan leaves for Thorold, which is his home; days later, Maerad and Cadvan go north on the backs of their faithful horses, Darsor and Imi. Believing such a course to be against Enkir's expectations, they ride through Annar, briefly passing within reach of Cadvan's former School, Lirigon. In Annar, they encounter economic degradation, often openly in the forms of abject poverty, misery, and child labour. Near Lirigon, they encounter two Bards who believe Enkir's statement that any who do not swear fealty to him, and especially Cadvan and Maerad, are traitors to the Light. In the confrontation, Maerad kills one of these two Bards, Ilar of Desor. This act deeply disturbs Cadvan, who takes it as indication that he has failed to correctly train Maerad. When he speaks of this, Maerad's own emotional insecurity etc. causes her to be harsher toward Cadvan than she has been accustomed to be. Fear, pride, and resentment on her part increase over the next many weeks, causing a rift between herself and Cadvan.

The Bards and their horses proceed to the mountains called Osidh Elanor, intending to go beyond them to find the secret of the Treesong. When they are among the mountains, they are attacked by the frost giant-like , who serve the Elidhu called Arkan the Winterking. Maerad cannot join with Cadvan mentally to combat these , who break the mountainside and by doing so bury Cadvan and Darsor. Imi flees in the opposite direction, while Maerad, horrified at the sight of Cadvan's apparent death, lies down in shock.

When she awakens, Maerad eats, drinks, and plays a lament for those whom she considers dead on a flute-like instrument given to her by her Elidhu ancestor Queen Ardina. The playing of the pipes summons Ardina, who at Maerad's request heals some of her more life-threatening injuries, then takes her to the home of a northern tribeswoman called Mirka à Hadaruk, who lives as a recluse in the mountains with no companion but her dog Inka. Mirka nurses Maerad to health over several days, during which she reveals that she is a Bard, though not one trained in the Annaren/Thoroldian fashion; that she (Mirka) belongs to the seminomadic people called Pilani, from whom Maerad is descended on her father's side; and that to the north exist a people called the Wise Kindred, who may explain the Treesong.

Maerad, having recovered from her injuries and left Mirka, travels to Murask, a Pilani settlement on the nearby Zmarkan Plains. There, she is accepted as guest by her father Dorn's twin sister, Sirkana à Triberi. Maerad stays in Murask for some days, unremarked by most of the people whom she meets, and eventually leaves in the company of one Dharin, a cousin of hers born to Dorn's other sister. Dharin and Maerad ride on a dogsled to the home of the Wise Kindred, an Inuit-like ethnicity of people who live on the volcanic islands north of Zmarkan. These people, in turn, redirect Maerad to the home of the necromancer Inka-Reb, who lives with a pack of wolves.

Inka-Reb receives Maerad and calls her a liar when she claims to need his help to define and find the Treesong. Angered, she demands that he speak with her. He agrees, adding that she may be unaware of having spoken a lie. Inka-Reb then reveals that half of the divided Treesong is actually written on a lyre that Maerad has inherited from her mother, and that if either the Light or the Dark unite the two halves, the world will be ruined. Having told her this, and refusing to say more, he sends her away.

Maerad and Dharin ride their dogsled toward the south, but are attacked on the way to Murask by the Jussacks, a tribe of Cossack-like hunters sent by the Winterking to seize Maerad. Dharin is killed and Maerad taken prisoner. The Jussacks transport her in their own dogsleds to the northeastern stronghold where Arkan's life and power are situated, where they hand her to Arkan. ''En route'' Maerad develops a friendship with Nim, the Jussack warrior deputed to take care of her, and loses three fingers to frostbite, reducing her much-cherished ability to play music.

In Arkan's fortress, Maerad is given a life of illusory luxury, her corporeal needs attended by a servant woman named Gima, who views Arkan as her beloved master. Arkan and Maerad gradually develop a Beauty and the Beast-like relationship, wherein she feels sexually drawn to him and he to her. During her captivity, Arkan reads the writing on Maerad's lyre, revealing that the symbols are an ogham-analogous script containing the power of the Speech. He additionally reveals that they were created by the Bard Nelsor, who attempted to capture the Song's power without realizing the disasters this could cause. Nelsor is later suggested to have been Arkan's homosexual partner.

Maerad is contacted during her captivity by Ardina, who has changed herself into a wolf and does not initially reveal her own identity. She gives Maerad a saying: "Triple-tongued is triple-named". This implies that in addition to the girl's human name, Maerad, and her Bardic name Elednor, she has another, Elidhu name, which Arkan does not know and therefore cannot use to control her as he uses the others. Ultimately, Maerad walks out of Arkan's stronghold and joins Ardina, who guides her to assume wolf's form. As wolves, the two escape, pursued by Arkan's stormdogs.

Ardina delivers Maerad to the wolf pack who serve Inka-Reb and leaves her with them. Subsequently, the wolf pack take Maerad to Annar, where she travels, still a wolf herself, to her birthplace of Pellinor. There, she encounters Cadvan, who has survived the battle in the mountains and come to Pellinor at Ardina's advice. She resumes her human form, hears Cadvan's account of his own travels through Zmarkan (which he had pursued shortly in her wake), and reveals her own story to him. Cadvan speculates regarding the meaning of what she has learned, suspecting that her destiny involves undoing Nelsor's captivity of the Speech, which neither Light nor Dark should have achieved. The two of them plan to seek out Maerad's brother Hem, who is significant to her destiny. Will she ever find her destiny?

Category:2004 Australian novels Category:Australian fantasy novels

The young man, ready for traveling, ponders upon futuristic Philippines, where Aga Muhlach was the President, Eraserheads will have a concert on the Moon and PSL offering a discount to travel to the Moon. He wrote his experience before he arrives in Grand Liwayway Station. He experienced everything as he goes towards his dream: to go to "Tagaytay", his place of dreams. He ends the letter and looks at the hologram of his love, who is in Orbital Space Station and works as a personnel, which switches back from her OSS uniform to a Filipiniana clothes, and stands up to prepare himself to ride the arriving train.

A hard-boiled police procedural set in a highly imaginative megalopolis called the Montezuma Strip, which stretches along the old U.S.-Mexican border. When police inspector Angel Cardenas investigates the case of a male corpse found with most of its internal organs missing, the victim turns out to have had two identities - one as a local executive, the other as a Texas businessman. The plot thickens when the victim's booby-trapped house nearly kills Cardenas and his partner. The author makes use of a vast array of futuristic elements; notably, sapient apes led by gorillas and intelligent rogue computers that commit computer crimes.

While the book does not state this, this is a continuation of a series of short stories featuring the same main character, written by Foster and initially published in genre magazines under the pen-name of James Lawson, and then collected under his own name in the Warner book ''Montezuma Strip'' (1995).

Category:2002 American novels Category:American science fiction novels Category:Novels by Alan Dean Foster Category:Techno-thriller novels

The story opens ''in medias res'', with Professor X recruiting a new team of X-Men, to rescue the original X-Men (Marvel Girl, Iceman and Angel [but not Beast, who had left the team], plus X-Men recruits Havok and Polaris), who had disappeared on a mission to the island of Krakoa, with only their leader Cyclops escaping. The new team consists of Sunfire and Banshee, who had been introduced in earlier ''X-Men'' comics; Wolverine, who had made his first appearance in ''The Incredible Hulk'' #181 (Oct. 1974); and the newly created Storm, Nightcrawler, Colossus, and Thunderbird. These members are gathered from all over the world, and Professor X uses his telepathic powers to teach them all English so that they can communicate with each other.

The team soon learns that Krakoa is not just an island, but a giant mutant as well. Despite a number of personality clashes among the individual members, the new team succeeds in rescuing the old X-Men as well as destroying the island by shooting it into outer space with Polaris' power. The issue ends by posing the question of the future of a 13-member X-Men team.

The later storyline "Deadly Genesis" offers a ret-con of this story, which tells how Professor X had initially recruited a different team before the events in the title who failed.

Torchy, the Battery Boy, was created by Mr. Bumbledrop, a lonely old toymaker who spends the majority of his days tending to his garden, where the neighbourhood children play. Torchy has a lamp on his head, and when he pushes a button on his jacket and utters a mysterious phrase, the light illuminates and gives Torchy magical insights. Mr. Bumbledrop also builds a cardboard rocket ship, which allows the boy to soar through the heavens.

The brightest star in the night sky is Topsy Turvy Land, home of all of the abused and neglected toys that once belonged to naughty children. There, the toys spring to life and animals have the ability to speak. Everyone is at home in this mysterious world, with its lollipop fields, cream bun trees, and chocolate puddles. However, Torchy frequently goes to earth to visit Mr. Bumbledrop, get replacement batteries, and return with naughty children who need to learn a lesson. In Topsy Turvy Land, humans shrink to the size of toys, and various children are subjected to the same horrors that they unleashed upon their playthings.

First season

''Sanford'' premiered in March 1980 as a midseason replacement. Demond Wilson refused to reprise his role as Fred's son, Lamont. His absence was explained by having Lamont away working on the Alaska pipeline. Fred's new business partner in the Los Angeles-based junkyard was Cal Pettie (Dennis Burkley), an overweight white Southerner, originally from Texas, with a generally optimistic attitude and jovial demeanor. Cal had worked with Lamont on the pipeline and Lamont sent him to visit his father. Cal moves into Lamont's old room. Rollo Lawson (Nathaniel Taylor), a recurring character on the previous series, was now working for Fred as a delivery man. (The events of the previous series ''Sanford Arms'' - cancelled after four episodes - where Fred and Lamont had moved to Arizona after selling the property to Fred's Army buddy Phil Wheeler, were completely ignored.)

Fred meets a customer who is an upper-class widow named Evelyn (Marguerite Ray). The two begin dating much to the dismay of Evelyn's snobbish brother Winston (Percy Rodriguez), and sharp-tongued maid Clara (Cathy Cooper), who see Fred as low-class. Her daughter Cissy (Suzanne Stone) was more accepting of Fred. Later in the season, Aunt Esther's college student son Cliff (Clinton Derricks-Carroll) moves in with Fred and Cal starts dating Cissy. (In the original series, Cliff's name was Daniel.) Officers Smitty and Hoppy (Hal Williams and Howard Platt), recurring characters from the original series, appeared in five episodes. Sammy Davis Jr. appeared as himself in two episodes, first in an uncredited cameo appearance (for which he also directed the episode), and then in the season finale in which Fred persuades Davis to perform for Evelyn's charity.

The show was highly promoted by NBC, and the premiere episode garnered solid ratings; however, the ratings dropped as the season progressed, and the show ended up ranking well outside the top 30 of the Nielsen ratings for the 1979–1980 season, whereas ''Sanford and Son'' consistently ranked in the top 10 except in its final season (by that time, the original series had dropped to number 27). ''Sanford'' was then put on hiatus to be retooled.

Second season

The show returned in January 1981 again as a mid-season replacement. The show was moved from Saturdays to the Friday night death slot. The original series of the 1970s dominated on Friday night for several seasons. Aunt Esther (LaWanda Page) appeared in the two-part season premiere (along with another episode later in the season). It was explained that her husband Woodrow had died and she was moving in to prevent Fred from being a bad influence on Cliff. While Derricks-Carroll was now featured in the opening credits, he only appeared in a few episodes of the season. This season now focused more on the relationship between Fred and Cal. Evelyn was now reduced to a recurring character and instead of being Fred's fiancee, she is simply dating him. The characters of Rollo, Winston, Cissy, and Clara were dropped with no explanation. Grady (Whitman Mayo), another recurring character from the original series, appeared in two episodes as a special guest star. Officers Smitty and Hoppy also reappeared several times.

The season attempted to rebuild the duo concept Sanford and Lamont had in the original series by focusing on storylines with their bonding. Some storylines includes Cal's racist mom coming to visit, not knowing Sanford was black, Sanford providing fatherly advice to both Cal and Cliff. This was noted in "Cal the Coward" and "Love Is Blind". A recycled storyline was used from the original series by having Cal in lieu of Lamont fall in love with an illegal alien who is later deported. A few episodes were in a more traditional sitcom format that allowed more serious moments, as the original was strictly comedy.

The retooled ''Sanford'' fared poorly in the ratings and NBC pulled the series at the end of January prior to the February sweeps, having only aired five episodes. NBC burned off the remaining seven episodes over the summer.

Given the abrupt cancellation, the final aired episode was not written nor intended to serve as a series finale. The episodes were most likely taped in mid- to late 1980 with the intention of the series doing better in the ratings.

Following the wedding of young Jenny Piper (Hayley Mills) and Arthur Fitton (Hywel Bennett) a rowdy reception ensues at a local Lancashire pub. The newlyweds then spend their wedding night at the Fitton's house, where Arthur's father, Ezra (John Mills), and some drunken guests are loudly singing in the living room. Arthur clashes with Ezra, a lifelong gasworks employee, who is unable to understand his son's love of literature and classical music. After a strained evening, the newlyweds retire, only for their marital bed to collapse as the result of a practical joke by Arthur's boorish boss Joe Thompson (Barry Foster). Jenny is amused, but Arthur, believing she is laughing at him, is unable to consummate their marriage. Arthur assures Jenny everything will be fine once they are on their honeymoon in Majorca, but the next day, they discover that the travel agent absconded with the money they gave him for the tickets, cancelling the trip.

Unable to afford their own home, Jenny and Arthur live with Arthur's parents and adult brother Geoffrey. The thin walls and lack of privacy exacerbate Arthur's discomfort. As days pass into weeks, the marriage remains unconsummated, straining the couple's relationship. Making matters worse, Arthur works at night while Jenny has a day job. Jenny begins socializing with Geoffrey, who is attracted to her, but she rebuffs his advances. At Jenny's urging, Arthur sees a marriage counsellor, but a gossipy charwoman overhears their session and spreads what was discussed. After Jenny confides to her parents that the marriage still is unconsummated, they then tell Jenny's in-laws. Arthur's mother Lucy (Marjorie Rhodes) reminisces to the Pipers about her own marriage having had a slow start. Ezra tries defending himself when Lucy relates how he brought his life-long friend Billy along on their honeymoon and spent more time with him than her. Lucy later tells Mrs Piper about once spending an evening with Billy when Ezra was working late, after which, Billy disappeared from their lives.

Joe Thompson, having heard the gossip, mocks Arthur and scornfully "volunteers" to satisfy Jenny. An enraged Arthur batters him, then quits his job. Returning home, he berates Jenny for disclosing their private matters. Their quarrel leads to them finally having sex. The gossipy neighbours overhear them and spread the news.

Meanwhile, the Association of British Travel Agents (ABTA) bond has covered the couple's lost honeymoon money, and they prepare for a belated one in Blackpool. Jenny's Uncle Fred advises the couple to get their own home to help improve their marriage; Ezra agrees to help Jenny and Arthur with the down payment on their own cottage, wanting to build a better relationship with Arthur, whom he tearfully calls "son". After Arthur leaves, Ezra ingenuously remarks how much Arthur looks and acts like the long-gone Billy, causing Lucy to console him.

In the middle of the Third Millennium the Earth is peaceful and prosperous, but discontent is growing in the small sphere of Human-colonised worlds. Earth business tycoon Bassett hopes to profit from this trouble, but he is opposed by Counce, an agent of a secret elite attempting to guide history for the benefit of Humanity. This organisation, backed by Ram and Falconetta of the influential Video India broadcasting network, has sole access to the transfax, a matter transmitter technology that allows instant transportation and duplication of objects and living beings. Counce and his agents are effectively immortal because they can be recreated from transfax recordings in the event of their deaths.

The situation is complicated by the arrival of the Others, aliens hoping colonise some of the worlds in Human Space, who threaten Ymir, a frigid planet sparsely populated by religious fanatics hostile to Earth. Falconetta's protege Anty suggests that the Others' survey ship be pulled from space and landed by transfax to prevent knowledge of Ymir reaching the Others' home world.

The plan goes awry, and there is a battle which kills Anty and most of the Others. Meanwhile, Bassett kidnaps the Ymirian girl Enni and interrogates her, and on the basis of the knowledge gained from her he agrees to a truce with Counce. Ymir is evacuated by Bassett, and its population is sent to more hospitable Human colony worlds to everyone's satisfaction, including Bassett, who has gained profit and prestige from the enterprise. The Others are given Ymir to colonise in exchange for peace.

But Bassett is not comfortable sharing his power with a secret society, and moves against their agents at Video India. Counce, three hundred years old and in his fifth reincarnation, is feeling tired of a life of struggle, and decides to make a suicide attack on Bassett's ship. Having left orders that he should not recreated, he is surprised to find that he doesn't die. As he regains consciousness, he is greeted by Enni and Anty.

For the first significant test using a live person, a diplomatic agent is Posted to a foreign embassy from the USA. The test is an abject failure: the agent, George Gunther, is unexpectedly armed and also demands a countersign upon arriving at his destination. Since nobody was instructed to provide him such a countersign, Gunther immediately assumes he's been intercepted by the enemy and shoots himself, triggering a destructive failsafe in the package of documents he was carrying. It is assumed that the Posting affected the agent's sanity. Faced with termination of the project, Dr. Justin Williams, the inventor of the technology, arranges to have himself Posted from the same embassy back to his research laboratory.

He finds himself in a world which is subtly different from his own. For one thing, Cinnamon Wright, his beautiful but cold African-American collaborator, is suddenly an ardent lover. Eventually she admits to him that, like the Cinnamon Wright from his world, she was Posted, and once worked for him in a world where he hated her, even though she was attracted to him.

As the story progresses, they realise that when humans are Posted, their inner desires influence the outcome, tipping them into alternate universes. However, they are not prepared for outcome of the next Posting: A Dr. Eduardo Landini has to be Posted back from an orbiting satellite for emergency surgery following a mechanical accident. But the being who emerges is not a man. He is a humanoid descended from baboons, who claims to be Ed Landini, and tells the doctors attending him that he is guaranteed to be biologically compatible with humans, otherwise he would not be there. He reveals that in his world the Posting technology is well understood. However, only mystics and "Pilgrims" elect to be Posted, because they know they will go to another world. It was only his desperate situation that forced him to take the chance himself.

The problem is this: the Poster links two congruent spaces, but it searches many universes to find the best match. When all factors are accounted for, including a person's state of mind and the state of the machine itself, the best match is more likely to be found in a machine from another universe. This is how a Dr. Landini arrived that is a man descended from baboons but speaking English and coming from a world with almost exactly the same history as the one on which he arrived. Although evolution took a different track on his world, the outcome was almost exactly the same as on the world where he arrived; had it been different, he would have gone to a different universe. The person who first comes to understand this is not a scientist, but a philosopher.

For intelligent beings, the Poster acts as a sort of "equalizer" between universes, introducing worlds where the technology is new to worlds where it is understood. The world from which Landini came was one in which the technology was being pushed further. Posters were being built in large numbers and launched across huge distances of interplanetary space, since the further the distance in the transfer, the greater the difference between the universes linked by the Poster.

However, Landini himself becomes the focus of trouble. Rumors about his appearance inspire revulsion among staff members at the facility, and as those rumours spread into the general population, politicians, pundits, religious leaders and rabble rousers begin exploiting the fears generated. Landini himself has no stomach for the attention, and openly shows his contempt for the behaviour of the humans around him. Despite his training and education, he has significant personality problems that isolated him even from his own kind. One of the things he tells Justin and Cinnamon is that a typical outcome from contact via the Posters is that the inventors of the devices go insane. Justin begins to feel he is right. The world is spiraling out of control around him, and he has had to reconcile his initial feelings of triumph over the creation of the device with the knowledge that an infinite number of people in other universes invented it long before him.

The final chapter has T. Emory Chester, the financier of the development effort (who was a ruthless power broker in Justin's original world) revealing a secret. He had suspected that Justin and Cinnamon had both been changed by being Posted because neither had mentioned their secret project-within-a-project: To discover what would happen if a Poster was used without another Poster acting as a destination. Once it became apparent that Posters linked different universes he began sending information rather than objects. Soon he accumulated a collection of books, newspapers and other media from other Earths, some fantastically different from the one he lived on. He is optimistic that once people begin being Posted this way, they will receive the Pilgrims Landini talked about, who go to help other universes. He believes that the Posters will necessarily send people to the universes where they can do the most good, because that is what their state of mind will require.

One message he received says that in worlds where the inventors of Posting are among the first to be Posted, the outcome is usually good for those left behind. If this is not done, the outcome is usually very bad. Since both Justin and Cinnamon had been posted, this foretells a likelihood of a positive outcome in this reality.

In Minneapolis, chiropractic nurse Georgia Jackson stays after-hours at her practice during a rainstorm to meet a new patient. Upon arrival, Georgia thinks she recognizes the patient, before they brutally decapitate her with an electric-powered wire garrote and disembark with her severed head.

The next day, Aura Petrescu, a troubled young Romanian immigrant suffering from a severe eating disorder, escapes from a local psychiatric hospital and is saved from a suicide attempt on a bridge by David Parsons, a sober drug addict and television newswriter. Aura is soon caught by police, and returned to the home of her parents, Adriana and Stefan. That night, Adriana, a fraudulent psychic, holds a séance for a group of locals seeking the identity of a local serial killer known as the "Head Hunter". Aura flees the house, and is pursued by Adriana and Stefan into the woods, where both are met by the killer, who decapitates them using the same method.

David allows Aura to stay with him at his lakeside home, but is alarmed when he finds her binging and purging the contents of his kitchen. Meanwhile, a young local boy, Gabriel, breaks into a neighbor's house when his pet lizard crawls through their open window. Inside, he discovers the electric garrote, and is unknowingly in the residence of the killer.

While editing news stories about the killer's crimes, David realizes the killer appears to only strike during rainstorms. Meanwhile, Aura ventures into the city to shop at a farmer's market, where she is spotted by Dr. Judd, her obsessive former psychologist, who chases after her before forcing her to return to his home with him. Judd forces Aura to consume berries that produce psychedelic effects, causing her to recall memories of the night her parents were killed. Aura subsequently awakens in the hospital during a rainstorm. The killer arrives, murdering an orderly and a decapitating Hilda Volkman, a night nurse, while a drugged Aura attempts to flee. She is saved by David, who has arrived to help her escape. Aura brings with her a keychain dropped by Hilda in the hospital hallway, which includes a key to a storage unit. Gabriel, meanwhile, notices the killer return home that night from his bedroom window, and watches as the gloved individual removes Hilda's severed head from a satchel.

The next morning, David and Aura venture to the storage unit to investigate. Inside, they find postcards and photographs of Hilda with her fellow nurses, among them the deceased Georgia. David identifies one of the nurses as Linda Quirk. David and Aura drive to Linda's home, which is nearby, but she flees by car when she sees them arrive. They track Linda to a local hotel, where they check in as guests in a room below hers. The killer soon arrives, triggering the fire sprinklers in Linda's room before decapitating her as well.

In a last-ditch effort, David tracks down Dr. Lloyd, the murdered nurses' superior who has since lost his medical career and descended into a life of destitution and drug addiction. Lloyd is reticent to speak with David. That night, the killer murders Lloyd in his apartment building by holding his head beneath a descending elevator. David awakens in the middle of the night to find Judd attacking Aura. Judd flees as police arrive, fatally crashing his car. In the trunk, police find the severed heads of Georgia, Hilda, Linda, and Lloyd, and conclude Judd was the killer. After police leave, David finds Aura missing and an apparent suicide note.

Some time later, David, who has lapsed back into addiction and lost his job, sees a cloaked figure in the city wearing a distinctive bracelet Aura owned. He follows the individual to their residence, and is noticed by Gabriel, who is playing outside. David breaks into the home, and finds a nursery with the desiccated corpse of a decapitated infant, before Adriana appears and knocks him unconscious. He awakens and finds himself locked in the basement, alongside Aura—it is revealed that Adriana is in fact the killer, who faked her death, framed Judd, and kidnapped Aura. Adriana has sought vengeance against Lloyd and his nurses, who accidentally cut off her newborn son Nicolas's head during his delivery, due to clumsiness combined with a sudden power outage caused by a thunderstorm. To cover up the accident, the nurses and Dr. Lloyd involuntarily subjected Adriana to electroshock treatment in hopes of erasing her memory of Nicolas's botched delivery and death. A deranged Adriana prepares to kill both Aura and David, but Gabriel breaks into the house and steals her garrote. Adriana instead brandishes a firepoker, but is stopped by Gabriel, who uses the garrote to kill her. Police arrive thereafter, as David comforts a hysterical Aura.

The family of twin sisters Maddie and Abby Parker are placed in the FBI's Witness Protection Program after they witness a robber at the local museum, in which the priceless Neil Diamond is stolen. Unfortunately, Maddie and Abby have a problem of being blabbermouths; as a result, everywhere the Parkers are sent to live, the girls inadvertently end up revealing their witness status. The gang is led by a crime lord with the rather unfortunate surname of Hatchew ("Bless you!"), who will do anything to get his hands on the diamond, which the thieves slipped into Abby's shoulder-bag during their escape from the crime scene; the gem ultimately ends up being set into her necklace.

The family travels everywhere in the United States, from Texas to a prairie town, and eventually has been moved to every geographic location around the world possible, with the single exception of Australia – thus the FBI (who by this time are getting absolutely fed up of having to ''constantly'' relocate the Parkers, and all because Maddie and Abby can't keep their mouths shut!) send them to live in Sydney. The girls at first have much trouble, especially fitting in with peers. Two assassins named Mac and Sidney are sent after them after having discovered their location by breaking into the FBI office. Maddie and Abby defeat Mac and Sidney by knocking them out, tying them to surf boards and putting clips in Sidney's hair, painting Mac's toenails and threatening to put pink and blue bikinis on them. The twins manage to convince them to change sides; they leave after the girls lure Hatchew to Australia. He comes after them, manages to get the diamond and sets his thug on them. It looks like they are about to die, until Mac and Sidney return and defeat the thug, saving the girls. Hatchew nearly gets away on a seaplane, but Maddie and Abby stop him using a boomerang and he is arrested by Katie, an undercover FBI agent posing as a lifeguard. The Parkers are finally able to return home to the United States with half the reward money for capturing the bad guys.

The story begins with the 1996 crash of TWA Flight 800 off Long Island, New York. A couple conducting an illicit affair on the beach witness the crash and flee the scene, having accidentally videotaped the crash and what appears to be a missile rising from the ocean towards the plane.

Five years later, Anti-Terrorist Task Force (ATTF, a fictional FBI department based on the Joint Terrorism Task Force) detective John Corey is encouraged to reinvestigate the crash, officially blamed on mechanical failure, by his wife Kate Mayfield, who had worked on the original investigation.

The story is a sequel to ''The Lion's Game'' and reintroduces a number of characters from that novel. A sequel to ''Night Fall'', titled ''Wild Fire'', was released on November 6, 2006. One of the returning characters from "The Lion's Game" and "Plum Island" is CIA operative Ted Nash, whom DeMille has developed into Corey's antagonist and nemesis in his career with the ATTF.

Much of the action in the novel centers on the search for the couple who inadvertently videotaped the in-air explosion that brought down TWA Flight 800 off the coast of Long Island. At the center of Corey's investigation are witness statements claiming that the fatal explosion was caused by a missile and not by mechanical failure.

Corey is warned by his superiors not to look into the TWA crash, and he and his wife are temporarily assigned to anti-terrorist activities in Yemen and Tanzania to keep them from pursuing the case. They return to the U.S., however, in early September 2001, and Corey makes crucial discoveries which are quickly overshadowed by the tragic events of Sept. 11, 2001.

''Night Fall'' debuted as number one on the ''New York Times'' Best Seller List on December 12, 2004, and remained on the list for 11 weeks.

Though the film is presumed lost, a synopsis survives in ''The Moving Picture World'' from September 3, 1910. It states: "Jim, an expert chauffeur, is discharged from a garage, for insobriety. Penniless and being unable to obtain a new situation, he takes to the road, a common tramp. At one house where he applies for food, he is harshly refused, and is about to turn away and try his luck elsewhere, when little Marie, the daughter of the house, comes to his assistance and orders the butler to at once give him the food he requires. She also picks a rose for him from the garden. Jim strolls into a nearby park and sits on a bench to enjoy his lunch. He is about to take a drink from the ever-present flask, which he takes from his pocket, when the sight of the rose, which the sweet-faced little girl gave him, inspires him with a desire to reform. He throws the flask from him, and refreshed by the lunch, he starts out with a new ambition to face the world."

"Little Marie also visits the park with her parents. While viewing the wonderful zoo it contains she is seen and recognized by Jim. While admiring the little girl and viewing her enjoyment over the wonders of the zoo, Jim notices that two evil-looking men are apparently shadowing the little one and her parents. Jim's suspicions are aroused, and he determines to watch closely the actions of the mysterious pair. He finds that they have arranged with a chauffeur to assist in carrying off little Marie and holding her for ransom. Seizing an opportune moment, Jim forces the plotting chauffeur to turn over his auto, and disguised in the other man's coat, cap and goggles, he calmly awaits the conspirators. When the two wicked men return, after having successful enticed Marie away from her parents, they give the driver of their auto directions as to where to drive. Jim simply nods assent and drives quickly off, but instead of taking them to the destination they directed, he lands them safe at the police station, where they are quickly taken into custody. Here Marie is united to her parents, whom she easily persuades to offer her rescuer a life position."

Four years after the events in the other short story "Neutron Star", spaceship pilot Beowulf Shaeffer is on Jinx, a planet orbiting Sirius B, when he is again contacted by the Puppeteers, this time by the Regional President of General Products on Jinx, who offers him a chance to guide a cramped (but very fast) experimental ship to the center of the galaxy as a promotional stunt. Shaeffer is offered one hundred thousand stars to make the trip, plus fifty thousand stars to write about it; he is also given the rights to sell the story. Shaeffer, seeing the value of such a promotion (as well as the value of his pay) agrees to go, naming the ship ''Long Shot''.

The ''Long Shot'' is built into the hull of a Number 4 General Products hull, a transparent sphere a thousand-odd feet in diameter. However, the Quantum II hyperdrive took up all of the volume of the ship, leaving only a few cubic yards of space for crew, cargo, or passengers. The cost, according to the Regional President of General Products on Jinx, was 7 billion stars. As it stood, the ship was a failure, unless the promotional run to the core and subsequent publicity generated the necessary interest for research funds.

The actual trip becomes more problematic. Shaeffer quickly realizes that he must maintain a constant watch over the mass pointer, the device that warns of a too-close approach to a star while in hyperdrive. At Quantum I hyperdrive speeds, Shaeffer only glanced at the pointer every six hours or so. At Quantum II speeds, however, he dared not take his eyes off the pointer. After three hours Shaeffer is exhausted and drops out of hyperspace, and attempts to abort the mission, but the Puppeteer reminds him that if he stops for other than mechanical failure, he forfeits twice his pay. As there are cameras watching him, he cannot sabotage the ship without the Puppeteer knowing he has done so. Shaeffer surmises that this is payback for the million stars he blackmailed out of the Puppeteers in ''Neutron Star''.

By the second day Shaeffer realizes he cannot make the trip in the four month time limit, and will be forced to pay two thousand stars for each day he exceeds that limit. He estimates it will take him six months to complete the trip, forfeiting about 120,000 stars and leaving him in about the same state of near insolvency he is in now. However, he suddenly realizes that if he can make some of the trip to the core between spiral arms of the galaxy where the stars are far apart, he will not have to dodge stars quite as frequently. He requests this information and one of the Puppeteer’s assistants provides him with a course to exit the spiral arm. In three weeks’ time he travels to the end of the gap and begins to enter the central portion of the galaxy.

Within three days he breaks through the obscuring interstellar dust and gas and sees the Core. As he continues toward the Core he encounters more problems: brightness and radiation, both of which continue to climb as he approaches closer and closer to the Core itself. He attempts to talk to the puppeteer about this but the puppeteer is uninterested in abstract knowledge that does not directly contribute to Puppeteer profits or survival.

Finally, Shaeffer halts, unwilling to go on. He contacts the Puppeteer via hyperphone and tells him that the galaxy is exploding: the Core stars have gone supernova and are causing other stars to do the same as the impinging radiation heats them up. The Puppeteer asks if Shaeffer wishes to be released from his contract without pay and Shaeffer declines, amused. The Puppeteer explains that if Shaeffer does not enter the Core, he forfeits on the contract. Shaeffer explains that he will show the radiation readings and brightness levels, and if questioned under truth drugs, any court in Known Space would know the Puppeteers tried to get Shaeffer to fly into the center of the holocaust, and it would rule against the Puppeteers. The Puppeteer concedes, and tells Shaeffer to return home.

Returning to Farside End on Jinx, feeling persecuted since his hyperphone calls have gone unanswered during his return trip, Shaeffer discovers the following: First, General Products has paid 150,000 stars into his account at the Bank of Jinx, with a note that whether he wrote an article about his trip was solely up to him. Second, the General Products corporation has disappeared, paying off all penalty clauses on all known worlds two months before. Third, a stock market crash is imminent, resulting from the disappearance of General Products and the lack of starship hulls. Fourth, the secret of the General Products hull is up for sale; bids are being taken by human representatives for one year, the minimum bid, one trillion stars. Fifth and finally, no one knows why any of this is taking place.

Shaeffer, however, knows. The Puppeteers are running, escaping the deadly radiation that will reach Known Space in 20,000 years. Puppeteers are considered cowards by other races, but Shaeffer wonders about the humans who are ignoring the threat simply because it's so far off. "Maybe," he thinks, "it's humans who are the cowards, at the core."

In 1532 a fleet of ships sails in secret to an island in the middle of an inland sea. There they hide a magnificent treasure more vast than that any Pharaoh would ever possess. Then they disappear, leaving only a great stone demon to guard their hoard.

In 1578 the legendary Sir Francis Drake captures a Spanish galleon filled with Inca gold and silver and the key to the lost treasure, which includes a gigantic chain of gold, a masterpiece of ancient technology so huge that it requires two hundred men to lift it and a large pile of diamonds worth more than 200 billion dollars that belonged to the last Inca. As the galleon is sailed by Drake's crew back to England, an underwater earthquake causes a massive tidal wave that sweeps it into the jungle. Only one man survives to tell the tale...

In 1998 a group of archaeologists is nearly drowned while diving into the depths of a sacrificial pool high in the Andes of Peru. They are saved by the timely arrival of the renowned scuba diving hero Dirk Pitt, who is in the area on a marine expedition. Pitt soon finds out that his life has been placed in jeopardy as well by smugglers intent on uncovering the lost ancient Incan treasure. Soon, he, his faithful companions, and Dr. Shannon Kelsey, a beautiful young archaeologist, are plunged into a vicious, no-holds-barred struggle to survive. From then on it becomes a battle of wits in a race against time and danger to find the golden chain, as Pitt finds himself caught up in a struggle with a sinister international family syndicate that deal in stolen works of art, the smuggling of ancient artifacts, and art forgery worth many millions of dollars. The clash between the art thieves, the FBI and the Customs Service, a tribe of local Indians, and Pitt, along with his friends from NUMA, two of whom are captured and threatened with execution, rushes toward a wild climax in a subterranean world of darkness and death – for the real key to the mystery, as it turns out, is a previously unknown, unexplored underground river that runs through the ancient treasure chamber. The fallen are told to come back and haunt those who took their treasure.

Dirk Pitt has to stop an evil CEO of an oil and natural gas company in the US from establishing absolute monopoly over oil resources and supplies. It is a typical Dirk Pitt novel dealing with a countdown, bribed officials, and ruthless evil leaders. Pitt also unravels the work of a brilliant, reclusive scientist who had made great advances in oil technology, traced the history and found the remains of a Viking settlement on the Hudson River; the scientist also discovered the remains of Captain Nemo's ''Nautilus'' and deciphered and improved its power system (a magnetohydrodynamic engine). The book climaxes with Dirk on the verge of proposing to his on-and-off girlfriend, U.S senator Loren Smith, when they are interrupted by the introduction of his children, Dirk and Summer Pitt, named after their father and mother respectively.

The game is set during Japan's Edo period, in about the year 1630, in a province called Ohkami in the western region, where the power has been seized by an evil tyrant named Gyokuro. The goal is to end his oppressive rule and restore peace.

A horror/comedy comic, the series begins with Michael Paris, an ordinary young man who has inherited a large plot of land upon his grandfather's death. The land is located in a town called "Raven's Hollow", and while Michael, or Paris as he prefers to be called, thinks he's just going to pick up the check for the land, he finds that the land is actually the town graveyard, called "The Boneyard". It's also not empty of active occupants, as a number of mythological creatures inhabit it.

Two families embark on a pleasant Sunday picnic in their Ford Model T, but manage to run into a variety of issues with the temperamental automobile. Each incident requires repeated exits and reboardings by Laurel, Hardy, their wives and grouchy, gout-ridden Uncle Edgar, and repetitions of the word ‘goodbye’. This segment may have been inspired by UK comedian Harry Tate and his famous 1907 ‘Motoring’ sketch, a vaudeville staple well-known on both sides of the Atlantic. A brick-throwing argument with a neighbor threatens to escalate into an all-out turf war until the local parson gets involved. The families manage to finally get their day underway, only to plunge neck-deep into a seemingly shallow, water-filled pothole.

The plot revolves around Mr. Furnace’s (the narrator) quest to marry his math professor’s daughter. Unfortunately, the math teacher does not approve of him, as he does not excel in mathematics. The professor sets him a challenge: to discover the principle of infinite speed. The narrator turns to his tutor, and is able to find the solution in the tachypomp. Eventually the professor agrees to allow Mr. Furnace to marry his daughter.

The tutor tells Furnace about several scientific discoveries. These include: * an android capable of computing vulgar fractions and composing sonnets; * a hollow tube leading through the earth to the Kerguelen Islands (where a Dutch navigator Rhuyghens is said to have found an "abysmal pit"); * a solution to squaring the circle; * a perpetual motion machine; * the tachypomp.

On the mining vessel ''Red Dwarf'', Dave Lister (Craig Charles) and Arnold Rimmer (Chris Barrie) go about their daily routine of maintenance. Rimmer takes his maintenance duties very seriously, despite lacking respect from other crew members, while Lister is more eager to be lazy and drink with others, and hopes to return to Earth to start a farm on Fiji with the true love of his life, Kristine Kochanski (Clare Grogan). The following day, Rimmer prepares for his latest attempt at the engineering exam, hoping to get promoted, but finds that the notes and equations he wrote on his arms and legs have been blurred due to him sweating nervously, prompting him to hand in a voided examination paper to the examiner before fainting.Howarth & Lyons (1993) p. 45.

Meanwhile, Lister is brought before Captain Hollister (Mac McDonald) and accused of smuggling aboard a non-quarantined pet – a pregnant cat that Lister named Frankenstein and hopes to include in his future plans. Learning that Frankenstein would be "put down" for a biopsy, Lister refuses and is sentenced to 18 months of suspended animation in a stasis cell. When he is revived by Holly (Norman Lovett) – the ship's ever increasingly senile computer – he is informed that the crew are all dead, after a faulty drive plate caused them to be subjected to a lethal dose of cadmium II radiation. Lister is horrified to learn that he could not be released until three million years later, when the radiation had dispersed.

Lister soon discovers that Rimmer was resurrected by Holly as a hologram, though with the inability to touch or feel anything, and learns that he was responsible for the accident. While they explore the ship, the pair come across a graceful-looking humanoid which Holly reveals to be an evolution of cats descended from Lister's pet. Holly reveals that Frankenstein managed to get into the ship's hold during the accident and was able to be safely sealed as a result. When the pair catch up with it, they manage to convince it that they are no threat, whereupon Lister names him Cat (Danny John-Jules) and learns that his ancestors created a religion around him. When Cat explains that his kind revered Lister as "Cloister the Stupid", who would lead them to the promised land "Fuchal", Lister points out what he means and promises to do so, prompting Holly to a course for Fiji. After Rimmer remarks that humankind will have evolved to the point that Lister will be like "the slime that first crawled out of the oceans", Lister declares "Look out, Earth – the slime's coming home!"Howarth & Lyons (1993) p. 46.

John Logue, a dedicated John Kerry campaigner in the 2004 election, makes a drunken campaign vow to move to Canada if George W. Bush is re-elected. When Bush indeed wins again, John finds his employer and his friends took his public vow seriously and he can not help but stay true to his word. He meets Chloe Hamon, a reader of his blog, who wants to accompany him to Canada. On his way, they visit John's parents who are upset about his liberal views because his father is an inveterate Republican supporter. Moreover, John's brother is a soldier who fought in the Iraq War. Later, close to the Canada–United States border, Chloe reveals to John that she is a deserter who was in Iraq as a soldier and is supposed to return there.

John insists on taking Chloe to Canada although he then risks getting in trouble should she get arrested. In Canada, they are welcomed by a community of American expatriates but neither John nor Chloe really fit in there, despite the arrangement of a marriage to allow John to remain. Making a difficult decision to return, John and Chloe head for the border and an uncertain fate. When Chloe is arrested and has to go to prison, John waits for her, and upon returning to the United States, has made a determination that he can make a difference. As the film ends, "John Logue for State Senate" can be seen on a bumper sticker on his car.

''Kill the Poor'' begins with a fire in the apartment of tough guy Carlos DeJesus and his trouble-making son, Segundo. The screenplay then focuses on the other tenants of the rundown building in an attempt to determine who set the blaze.

The other principals are:

• Joe Peltz, a young man who ignored his uncle's warnings to bring his wife Annabelle and their young child into the neighborhood where his Jewish grandparents had their start in America
• Spike, an aspiring found-object sculptor
• Delilah, a flamboyant gay man
• Butch, a presumptuous graduate student
• Scarlet, the tenement's resident floozy
• Negrito, a fixture in the neighborhood

A shared distrust of Carlos and Segundo unites this eclectic group and prompts them to hold "co-op" meetings with one goal: eviction of Carlos and Segundo DeJesus.

The time is the 1890s. Captain Sam, owner of the showboat ''River Queen'', travels along the Mississippi River bringing honest entertainment to each town. At a stop in Ironville, he meets Crawford, Bonita, and Bailey, who are wanted by the local sheriff. Against the advice of his daughter Caroline, his lead actor Dexter Broadhurst, and his chief roustabout Sebastian Dinwiddle, the Captain joins them for a card game at a local gambling house.

The Captain is plied with alcohol until he is intoxicated and gets involved in a crooked card game where he loses controlling interest in the show boat to Bonita and Crawford. They turn the showboat into a floating gambling casino with every game rigged in their favor. Dexter and Sebastian help the captain regain ownership of his vessel and oust the unwanted criminals.

Traveling to Earth after his trip to the core of the Milky Way Galaxy, Beowulf "Bey" Shaeffer befriends Gregory Pelton, a fabulously wealthy and gregarious flatlander (Earth-born human) who calls himself Elephant. Irritated at always being labeled a flatlander despite having logged many hours in space, Elephant decides to visit the most unusual system in or near Known Space, and has his agents put in a call to meet with the nearest Outsider vessel. Elephant, as well as two women named Diana and Sharrol, show Shaeffer around Earth for a few days; Shaeffer and Sharrol quickly develop a romantic relationship.

Four days after landing on Earth, Elephant and Shaeffer travel to the edge of Known Space in Elephant's ship, the ''Slower Than Infinity'' (written ''ST∞''), to meet the Outsiders for information on the location of the most unusual system in Known Space. The Outsiders charge a million "stars" (the interstellar currency) for the whereabouts of the system and Elephant accepts; the Outsiders also offer to explain, for an additional two hundred thousand stars, what exactly makes the star system unusual. Elephant declines when they reveal that he will be able to find this out for himself.

The Outsiders ferry the ''Slower Than Infinity'' to the system. The two make a list of particularities apparent about the planet orbiting what Shaeffer dubs the ''Fast Protosun'': * Velocity of the system relative to Known Space, 0.8 ''c'' . * Possible extragalactic origin. * Only protostar in Known Space. * Extremely high radiation levels, which would result in their suit shielding breaking down in 3 days, the extension bubble in 20 hours. * Very smooth surface of the planet, as if polished. * The system is relatively clear of meteors * Protosun too thin for fusion, yet glowing. * The planet has no lithosphere, it appears to be worn down to the asthenosphere which has hardened in the interstellar cold. * An asteroid crater was nearly eroded away from interstellar dust, which should be too thin to work so fast. * There are helium II lifeforms present on the planet. * The lifeforms are all on the back side of the planet relative to its course through Known Space, as if they feared the interstellar dust. * The so-called "indestructible" General Products hull evaporates while within its vicinity.

Endangered by the final peculiarity, they only have just enough time to get their helmets on. The remainder of the ship, along with the stowed extension bubble, is still intact. Elephant insists on attempting to land on the planet anyway but Shaeffer convinces him that, unless he can explain why the General Products hull disappeared, they should run for it. Elephant agrees, resentfully, but says that if he were alone he would go down.

With some difficulty, they return to Jinx. Most of the trip is made in silence as Elephant is not happy about running. Shaeffer gets in contact with a General Products puppeteer, declaring that his GP hull failed. He gives the puppeteer details about their exploration of the fast protosun and the puppeteer agrees to pay the indemnity, noting that they were unaware that such quantities of antimatter were present anywhere in the galaxy. This, the puppeteer explains, is what caused the hull to evaporate.

It is thus revealed to Shaeffer and Elephant that what made the system the most distinctive was its composition: antimatter, which General Products hulls are not resistant to. Elephant finally understands why he’s just a "flatlander": He does not instinctively recognize that the universe is a dangerous place to live.

The game takes place in America in the 1800s, in the area known as the Wild West. Gojiro Kiryu, a samurai, has arrived from Japan to find and kill his brother, Rando, who came to the United States some time before. Upon his arrival, he finds the region under the tyrannical rule of a local Tycoon named Goldberg, whose hired thugs have left the nearby settlements virtual ghost towns. Although initially uninterested in these happenings, Gojiro is nonetheless drawn into conflict with Goldberg's forces as his warrior's code demands that he do the right thing and help the people being hurt by the tycoon. After learning of a connection between Goldberg and his missing brother, a final confrontation lingers.

Lydia, the main character, has just arrived at Dragonvale Academy, a school of magic. Her best friend, Celeste, agreed to meet her outside the school at a nearby fountain, but when Lydia arrives, the school is deserted and Celeste is nowhere to be found. With the help of a wolf (who claims to be both a dragon and a familiar to a powerful mage) named Zak, Lydia sets out to find out what happened at Dragonvale Academy that caused the disappearance of hundreds of people and to reunite with her best friend.

John Parrish, a former Union Army cavalry officer, has been living out west to facilitate his recovery from an old war wound on his lung. Known for foolishly not carrying a gun and avoiding trouble, now that he has a clean bill of health, he plans to sell his land to Anchor Ranch and move east with his fiancée of three years, Caroline Vail. However, he is disturbed when he witnesses the town sheriff being gunned down by Wade Matlock, one of the cowardly henchmen working for the Anchor Ranch. Later, Anchor's crippled owner, Lew Wilkison, who has almost completely taken over the valley and who resents farm settlers moving in on the range, presents a low ball offer for Parrish's ranch, telling him he has 24 hours to respond. After thinking about it, John decides to meekly sell out on account of his nagging fiancée's insistence. Then in a violent play to push the deal, one of Parrish's ranch hands, the son of a 'nester' or local farm settler, is murdered by Wade Matlock.

Parrish's men ride into town for revenge, but he orders them back to his ranch and tells them that the new town sheriff, who works for Lew, is waiting to arrest them if they confront Wade. Then left alone, Parrish approaches Wade in the town saloon, surrounded by Lew's men. After meekly coming in Parrish asks Wade to give himself up for the killing. As Wade begins to laugh, Parrish suddenly slaps his face, grabs his gun hand, while pulling his own gun and killing Wade after he fires his gun. Parrish quickly exits the saloon before Lew's men can react.

The next day, Parrish rides to the Anchor Ranch and tells Lew that his ranch is not for sale. Further, as he rides out, Parrish tells Lew, "Don't force me to fight, because you won't like my way of fighting." This riles everyone at the Anchor Ranch, except Judith, the disgruntled daughter of Lew and Martha. Not all is well at Anchor with Martha carrying on with his brother, Cole, who also has a Mexican girl friend in town. Caroline Vail gives back her ring when Parrish refuses to sell.

Led by Cole, Lew's men burn down Parrish's ranch. Unbeknownst to Cole, Parrish expected this and he and his men are watching. It gives Parrish the justification to fight within the law and using his military experience, he and his men ambush Cole and Lew's men, killing only eight of them, and then taking to the hills.

Back at the Anchor ranch, Cole and Lew argue and Cole decides to pull out, going into town to see his Mexican girl friend. That evening, Parrish and his men cause Lew's horses and cattle to stampede, forcing all of Lew's men to leave the ranch to deal with the livestock. With the ranch unguarded, Parrish men set fire to the Anchor ranch house. Still at the ranch, Lew and Martha are caught in the fire. Lew asks Martha for his crutches and she throws them into the fire before running from the burning house, leaving him to die. However, Lew survives.

Martha finds Cole and tells him that Lew is dead and together, they can rebuild Anchor. The naïve Cole agrees to help Martha and assembles a small army of men, with help from the sheriff, who also believes that Lew is dead. They begin burning out and killing the 'nesters' as likely allies of Parrish and as an excuse to clear the valley. Back at the ranch, Judith finds Lew, who has crawled from the burning house and is hurt, but far from dead. Judith takes Lew to the hills where Parrish and his men are hiding.

Cole and Martha return to the Anchor ranch with the army of men but are confronted by Parrish and Lew, who ride in with Judith. All three have come to realize Martha is the real villain. The sheriff is shocked to see Lew alive, who then orders the small army to leave his property. Parrish, seeing Cole in the distance, rides toward him and dismounts for a final showdown. Martha smiles, expecting Cole to kill Parrish. They approach one another and start shooting. Cole is shot in the chest and falls to the ground, dead. Martha runs to him and as she kneels down she sees Lew and Judith approaching her. In a panic, she runs from the ranch, only to be gunned down by Cole's Mexican girlfriend out for revenge.

Later, in town, John Parrish and his men are loading supplies on their wagon, when Judith approaches and tells John that her father would like him to run Anchor. John tells Judith he has his own ranch to rebuild and rides off. Then stopping he returns to her and smiling, he tells her "your father once told me he'd get my ranch one way or another." John and Judith ride off together as two old hands watching shake their heads admiringly.

The Palais Garnier is in the midst of the world premiere of ''Don Juan Triumphant'' when the enormous chandelier adorning the domed ceiling of the auditorium plunges into the middle of the stalls and kills several members of the audience. The player takes the role of Raoul Montand, a detective from the Sûreté and patron of the Opera. The manager, Monsieur Brie, suspects the Phantom may be the cause and has Raoul investigate. Raoul encounters the leading actress of the show, Christine Florent, who has received a note from the Phantom which threatens her. Some time later, Christine is found strangled by the Phantom. Raoul goes to the catwalk where the Phantom appears and pushes him off the edge. Then, he awakens to find himself transported back in time to the year 1881 where he is mistaken for the Viscount Raoul de Chagny.

During a production, Erik captures Christine Daaé. After a great deal of work and exploring, Raoul enters the Phantom's lair and rescues Christine, but the Phantom appears once more and re-captures Christine. Raoul climbs to the chandelier and does battle with the Phantom, eventually causing the chandelier to fall and kill both men. Raoul awakens back in his own time, where none of the events related to the Phantom seem to have taken place, but before the credits begin the Phantom's shadow is seen behind him.

The story, taking place in a fantasy world, revolves around a magical sphere where the evil sorcerer, Sanwe, was trapped by the late King of Gran Callahach 20 years ago and he is about to break free.

The newly crowned king, Callash, goes on a quest to stop the wizard before he regains his powers. However, when he faces Sanwe, he discovers that he is not the real king but a shapechanger named Pid Shuffle. It is revealed that the Queen Mother concocted the scheme to get rid of Callash and put his evil brother MacMorn on the throne, persuading the Court Wizard to aid her under the false pretense of saving Callash from mortal danger. It falls to Pid to rescue the rightful King and defeat MacMorn.

After a remote Mars Rover (''Vision'') loses contact with Earth, a series of flashes appear on the face of Mars, once every Martian day (24 hours, 37 minutes). The flashes baffle scientists at first, until strange objects are discovered heading towards Earth. A Space Shuttle is sent out to investigate, and becomes the first casualty in the Martian attack on Earth.

The first of the eleven objects sends out a 1 million volt electromagnetic pulse (EMP) which becomes known simply as the Pulse. The first pulse covers North America, and knocks out all computer circuitry and most sophisticated electronics. The second and third objects contain EMPs for Eurasia and Antarctica, effectively immobilizing the world. The remaining objects release canisters which plummet to Earth and strategically impact around major population centers.

As planes crash and cars stop, Alex DeVane tries to get to NASA headquarters to deal with the Pulse and what it means. After the canisters hit, and bombing appears to have no effect, the United States Army sends out an infantry division to investigate and attack the aliens. The canister opens, and the Martians exit in armored saucers held up on tractor beam-like legs. They are also armed with lasers that burn through anything they touch. The ring of tanks, infantry, and artillery fire on the Martians, but to no effect. They destroy the group and continue the invasion.

The U.S. Army rallies and fights bravely, but loses every battle. The Martians also have a poison gas weapon that lasts about 30 minutes, but is lethal. They destroy and kill for the sake of doing so, and seem to breathe in the death and destruction they are causing.

Ironically, this smell leads doctors and scientists to speculate on the nature of the Martians, and the large amount of bacteria they seem to thrive upon. Although successful with nuclear weapon attacks, the Americans try a penicillin/antibiotic bomb, which seems to stop the landers after only a slight delay. Further experimentation by Markus DeVane later proves that any bread-based mold will quickly put down a Martian. This solution is communicated to the survivors, and the invasion is stopped.

The novel is set in Moscow in the Yeltsin years, the early 1990s, a time of rampant chaos and corruption. Its protagonist, Babylen Tatarsky, graduate student and poet, has been tossed onto the streets after the fall of the Soviet Union where he soon learns his true calling: developing Russian versions of western advertisements. But the more he succeeds as a copywriter, the more he searches for meaning in a culture now defined by material possessions and self-indulgence. He attempts to discover the forces that determine individual desires and shape collective belief in this post-Soviet world. In this quest, Tatarsky sees coincidences that suggest patterns that in turn suggest a hidden meaning behind the chaos of life. He first senses this hidden purpose when reading about Mesopotamian religious practices. Tatarsky's quest is enhanced by the consumption of hallucinogenic mushrooms, cocaine, and vodka. His quest is further aided by another form of spirits: through a ouija board, Che Guevara writes a treatise on identity, consumerism, and television. Eventually, Tatarsky begins to learn some truths—for instance, that all of politics and the “real” events broadcast on television are digital creations. But he can never quite discover the ultimate force behind these fabrications. When at last he reaches the top of the corporate pyramid, Tatarsky learns that the members of his firm are servants of the goddess Ishtar, whose corporeal form consists of the totality of advertising images. The firm's chief duty is to make sure that Ishtar's enemy, the dog Phukkup, does not awaken, bringing with it chaos and destruction. After a ritual sacrifice, Tatarsky becomes the goddesses’ new regent and, in the form of a 3-D double, her bridegroom. In the novel's last chapter, Tatarsky's electronic double becomes a ubiquitous presence on Russian TV. Tatarsky, who had tried to look past the false images presented on TV to see a true unmediated reality, has himself been transformed into an illusion.

It is explained in the epilogue that the "P" in Generation P stands for "Generation Pizdets," which translated roughly as "Generation Screwed."

The story begins in the "Land of Magic and Enchantment" where a young man named Zyll was unsuccessfully attempting to become a master of black magic. His ultimate goal was to become "Ruler of the Realm", an ambition for which he was eventually banished. After banishment, Zyll accidentally discovered the magical "Black Orb" upon throwing a failed potion to the ground. The ancient texts said that anyone possessing the Black Orb would become more powerful than all of the other sorcerers.

Zyll used his newfound powers to take revenge against the Land of Magic and Enchantment by stealing the "Great Treasures" that had been hidden in secret vaults for many years. He eventually turned the once prosperous country into a dark and barren wasteland.

Players are given the role of a daring adventurer who has decided to steal the Black Orb from Zyll in order to return the Land of Magic and Enchantment to its previous splendor. Upon obtaining the Black Orb, the player must collect at least four of the stolen Great Treasures in order to be instantly transported to the Land of Magic and Enchantment. Game-play begins with the player being transported to Zyll's home, the Castle Mitain.

Paul, a Welshman and former miner, has written a screenplay about his experience in the 1984 Miners' Strike. His friend arranges a meeting with the film executives of "Golden Pictures", which is known for pornographic films, but wants to branch out and become more reputable. The executives tell him that they like the script, but they want to make some changes, such as having Arthur Scargill dramatically rescue a woman, played by Meryl Streep, from a collapsing mine (to which Paul points out that the mine would not be operational, since the film is about a strike).

Concerned with the direction the film is taking, and the studio's desire to cast Al Pacino as Arthur Scargill despite the two having little in common, Paul expresses dissatisfaction with his friend who set up the meeting, but is told to trust him. During a location scout, the representatives from Golden Pictures say that they think the modern mining town doesn't look like what they imagined, and decide to set the film in the 1930s and replace various locations such as a shoe store with archaic places like a blacksmith shop. Paul meets a friend who was also a miner and promises to get him a role in the film, but the executives think that he doesn't look like a miner.

Al Pacino drives in a limo to a hotel for the shoot, but is not impressed with the accommodation. While driving, he expresses interest in a small house along the road, and purchases it, evicting the woman who lives there.

Back in the film offices, the executive and Al Pacino say that they want to change the ending of the script from a tragic ending of the strike failing to a happy ending of the underdog winning. Paul and his friend say they are not happy with how the film's direction is going and want to cancel the film. The executive writes two cheques: one to get Paul's friend to leave the production, and the other to keep Paul on board. Al Pacino tells Paul that they need him, and, after seeing the amount of money on the cheque, he agrees to write whatever ending they want.

On the film set, Golden Pictures tears up the modern mining town to create the image they want and turning down actual miners because they don't match the stereotype they have in mind. The footage of the beginning of the film shows Scargill in an anachronistic town as the only person who is literate. He reads a modern copy of ''Das Kapital'' in a tavern while the townspeople (including stereotypical miners who wear old-fashioned mining helmets in town) berate him for not having the courage to lead a strike. Meryl Streep is the invented wife of Arthur Scargill who believes his commitment to the miner's rights is straining their marriage and taking a toll on their daughter.

Paul has a nightmare in which a disembodied voice tells him his film is misrepresenting the miners he wanted to help. Paul says it got out of control and he never meant for it to get that way, but the voice accuses him of being complicit by taking the money. He is woken up by a phone call from the executive, who is partying with Al Pacino and asks for a scandalous scene of Arthur Scargill and his drunken antics, which Paul attempts to write, but in the morning admits to Al Pacino that it doesn't fit with the story.

Watching a film reel of more footage, Paul looks in anguish as he sees that the stereotypical miners have physically abused Scargill's wife to send a message to him. Scargill is distraught when he sees this, but they are interrupted when he learns of a mining accident. The miners working on site (despite the alleged strike) tell him that his daughter is down there. He narrowly escapes, but is told that while he was down there, disgruntled miners raided "the dynamite store" and are planning on blowing up a nuclear reactor in retaliation.

The film is completed and the publicity tour commences, showing a promotional tour portraying The Strike! as an action romance film. Paul, horrified by this, begins drinking heavily. The remainder of the film is interspersed with an awards ceremony in which the film receives numerous accolades while Paul continues to drink. Arthur Scargill convinces the miners to hold off on blowing up the nuclear reactor until he speaks with Parliament at 3 o'clock. He borrows a motorcycle and races to London, arriving just as Big Ben strikes 3.

Just as the miners are about to detonate, they hear over the radio that Scargill has burst into Parliament and hold off. He is allowed to speak, and gives an impassioned speech about patriotism and democratic values, while his wife (inexplicably present) looks on in the audience. Scargill ends saying that his daughter asked him if he would always be a coal miner, and says that the decision rests with Parliament. A vote is called and the vote is unanimously to agree to the strike's demands and allow coal miners to work! The doors to Parliament open to show Scargill's wife and daughter. His daughter is in leg braces and takes tenuous steps into parliament, while members shake her hand, telling her how brave her father is. When she makes it into Scargill's arms, Parliament erupts in cheers and won't quiet down, ending the film.

The executive tells Paul that he should be proud of how successful his film is, and says they should do it again sometime. Paul returns on a bus to his hometown where he sees townspeople picketing the movie theatre with signs that say he is responsible for misrepresenting their plight. Paul throws his typewriter into the air, letting it smash onto the ground, as he walks out into the pasture.

The film is a parody of Enid Blyton's ''Famous Five'' books, involving siblings Julian (Richardson), Dick (Adrian Edmondson) and Anne (Jennifer Saunders), and their cousin George (Dawn French) and her dog Timmy. The four children arrive on holiday at Uncle Quentin (Ronald Allen) and Aunt Fanny's home. Upon learning that Uncle Quentin has been kidnapped, the Five decide to spend several days on a cycling holiday in Dorset. After picnicking and reporting some criminals to the local police they celebrate by buying some cakes from a shopkeeper (Robbie Coltrane). At the shop, they encounter a rude but rich boy, Toby (Daniel Peacock), whom the children at first refuse to accept into their group due to his obnoxious behaviour and also their cliquish nature. Later, while camping, Toby is kidnapped. Coltrane later reappears, this time as a lecherous gypsy. The Five discover a secret passage into an abandoned castle, where they find Toby. They also find Uncle Quentin, who reveals his kidnapping was a hoax to cover his split from Aunt Fanny because of his homosexuality. The children call the police and Uncle Quentin is arrested.

Aimwell and Archer are two fashionable beaux, on the lookout for an heiress to marry so they can repair their fortunes. To help their scheme, Archer poses as Aimwell's servant when they arrive in the city of Lichfield. Aimwell insinuates himself into friendship with the beautiful Dorinda, daughter of Lady Bountiful. Meanwhile, Archer strikes up an extremely worldly friendship with Kate, Dorinda's sister-in-law. She is unhappily married to Sullen, a parody of a country squire, mad for hunting and eating and (especially) drinking.

Obstacles to a happy ending include the fact that Kate's husband despises her; that the innkeeper's saucy daughter, Cherry, has fallen in love with Archer; that Lady Bountiful, who is extremely over-protective of Dorinda's virtue, mistakenly believes herself to be a great healer of the sick, while a band of brigands plans to rob Lady Bountiful that very night.

In Egypt, Joseph is a Hebrew slave to Potiphar, chief of Pharaoh's palace guard. The overseer Ednan torments Joseph for his refusal to show deference, but Joseph earns his respect by reading, and Ednan increasingly relies on Joseph. Potiphar's wife unsuccessfully tries to seduce Joseph, and falsely accuses him of rape.

Joseph explains his life story to Potiphar to restore trust. Joseph is the eldest son of Jacob and Rachel. Their large family is marred by discord and violence. One day, Jacob gives Joseph a beautiful coat, which causes his envious half-brothers to sell Joseph into slavery. Potiphar announces that Joseph will go to Pharaoh's prison for humiliating his wife. In prison, Joseph earns a reputation as a talented interpreter of dreams. He makes two accurate interpretations of the dreams of the royal cupbearer and the royal baker, both imprisoned on suspicion of theft.

Pharaoh summons Joseph to interpret his own troubling dreams. Joseph says that the seven fat cows and the seven full ears of corn in the dream mean that there will be seven years of plenty, but the seven sickly cows and the seven thin ears of corn signify seven years of famine. Joseph suggests that all the farmers give one fifth of their crop to Pharaoh for storage for the coming famine. Impressed, Pharaoh appoints Joseph as governor, second only to Pharaoh; he also gives Joseph a wife, Asenath, and Potiphar and Ednan now serve under Joseph.

Seven years later the famine begins. Joseph and Asenath have two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. In Canaan, Jacob learns of the abundance in Egypt, and sends most of his sons to buy grain. Joseph recognizes his brothers but accuses them of spying and throws them into prison. Joseph insists they prove their innocence by bringing the youngest brother Benjamin to Egypt.

After the brothers bring Benjamin, he is framed for theft and arrested. When they rise up against their guards, Joseph reveals his true identity to all of them. Benjamin immediately embraces Joseph, but the others are ashamed. Joseph embraces each one in turn, saying that God used their evil intentions for an ultimate good, preparing Joseph for his current position so that he can provide for his extended family.

Joseph sends his brothers home to bring Jacob and the entire settlement to Egypt during the remaining five years of the famine. The clan arrives in Egypt to be reunited with Joseph.

The story begins with Elena travelling to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to follow up a lead the Pack have come across on believe.com which purports to be able to prove the existence of werewolves. However, when she meets her contact, a young witch named Paige Winterbourne, she has information that Elena finds extremely disturbing. Not only does she claim to know about werewolves, but more specifically about her. It is clear that the posting on the website was a lure designed to bring Elena to Pittsburgh because of problems other supernaturals have been having with a group headed by Tyrone Winsloe. Elena is skeptical, having given no credence up to this point that other supernatural beings such as witches and vampires could exist. The claims of Paige and her mother, Ruth, sound like conspiracy theories that Elena finds hard to believe.

Unable to sleep, she goes out that night for a run, but is followed by a stalker with military training. Elena evades him only to discover that he has colleagues and that they are trying to capture not only herself, but also the Winterbournes. In the fight, Elena kills one of the men, Mark, and the three women find themselves confronting a half-demon able to teleport whom Elena nicknames 'Houdini', who works for Tyrone Winsloe. Ruth casts a spell which traps him temporarily and the three women make their escape.

Elena calls Jeremy and, the next morning, the two of them attend a meeting of the Inter-racial Council. There they are told about a shaman who had been kidnapped and taken away from his home in Virginia to a compound run by Tyrone Winsloe and Lawrence Matasumi. With his abilities of Astral projection, the shaman is able to not only determine that he is not the only captive, but also to contact the shaman on the Inter-racial Council, Kenneth.

Following the discussion about how to handle matters, Jeremy declines to return to the meeting after dinner. His priority is first and foremost to the Pack and its safety. Whilst he is prepared to join forces with the Council if necessary, it is only a temporary measure as the Pack has always fought its own battles.

That night Clay arrives. The three werewolves are attacked by men working for Winsloe, but they are all killed. The Pack are suspicious because the only people who knew they were in the area where the members of the Council. So, the following day, when they arrive at the meeting, they do so with the head of one of the men in a bag. They decline any offer to align themselves with the Council and leave.

On the way back, Elena is kidnapped and taken to the compound. There she becomes involved with many of the other residents, being 'befriended' by Leah and Sondra, as well as helping Doctor Carmichael in the infirmary. She discovers Ruth has also been kidnapped. The witch is particularly interested in another prisoner, Savannah Levine. However, 'poltergeist activity', that many of those in the compound associate with Savannah, plays a role in the death of Ruth.

Sondra Bauer becomes obsessed with turning herself into a werewolf and injects herself with some of Elena's saliva. Her body reacts as if she has been bitten, and she is taken to the infirmary. While there, Bauer kills Carmichael and Elena is forced to sedate her. Bauer is transferred to the cell beside Elena's.

Tyrone Winsloe takes an interest in Elena, wanting her to wear skimpy clothing as well as watch, and participate in, his 'hunts'. Prisoners such as Patrick Lake and Armen Haig are killed during these and it becomes clear that Elena is next. Winsloe brings her photographs that he claims are of Clay and that Clay is now dead.

An apparent system malfunction provides the opportunity for Elena, Sondra, Leah and Savannah to attempt escape. Bauer loses control and is killed by the guards. Leah and Savannah get left behind when an elevator door closes on Elena. She makes a run for it, Changing into a wolf, and is chased by dogs. Clay finds her and takes her back to Jeremy and the others who are in New Brunswick, Canada.

After telling her story, the group devise a plan to free the others from the compound and to put a stop to Ty Winsloe and his associates. Clay, Paige, Adam and Elena enter the compound first. They kill the dogs and disable the vehicles before entering the building itself. Tucker and the guards are killed or disabled before they enter the cell block. There they find Savannah. Curtis Zaid is revealed to be Isaac Katzen when he attacks Paige and the others. Katzen is killed. Leah is shown to be the one really responsible for the poltergeist activity. She attempts to snatch Savannah, but is prevented and escapes. Clay and Elena track Winsloe and kill him.

The player chooses from a roster of characters who are forced to compete in The Club, a modern form of gladiatorial combat. They are under the watchful eye of a middle-aged man known as The Secretary. There are 8 characters to choose from; each with its own attributes and ending:

• '''Dragov''': A Russian convict who is rescued by The Club after attempting an escape across the Siberian tundra. He is the strongest of the competitors, but also the slowest. The game ends with Dragov escaping The Club compound through a helicopter, killing the guards in the process.

• '''Renwick''': A former New York detective, who lost his job after repeated attempts to locate The Club, and continued the search on his own. He is fairly well balanced, with particular attention to speed. The ending shows Renwick waking up in a derelict building - dazed and confused. He then receives a phone call from The Secretary saying he is released from The Club unharmed but is now a fugitive to law enforcement, a small price to pay for meddling with The Club's affairs.

• '''Finn''': A gambler whose debts landed him in trouble with the mob, and resulted in his Club membership. He is also well balanced, but with a little extra emphasis on stamina. After completing The Club, he sends the money he owes to the mob with a bomb inside the briefcase, killing them in the process.

• '''Seager''': A Canadian extreme sports junkie, who joins The Club in search of that next high. He sacrifices strength for above average speed and stamina. The Secretary thanks him for his participation and gives him his cash reward, to which he declines and simply says, "I want to play."

• '''Kuro''': A Japanese double agent posing as a Triad Society assassin. Kuro is among the fastest competitors in The Club. He is last seen being interrogated by law enforcement, who are actually The Club members in disguise, suggesting that they intend to recruit Kuro again.

• '''Killen''': An Australian man who survived through The Club once, only to be forced back when his daughter's life is threatened. Killen is well balanced, with an extra bump to strength. As promised, his daughter is released from custody and Killen is seen exiting the Club compound on a motorcycle.

• '''Adjo''': An African giant who seeks to redeem his violent past, but is ultimately forced to participate in the tournament. Adjo is also one of the strongest competitors in The Club. He rudely refuses his reward money in the end, saying he wants his village to be left in peace and marches out of The Club.

• '''Nemo''': A psychopathic Englishman who only lives to kill. Nemo is extremely fast and quite strong, but has very low stamina. It is revealed that Nemo is The Secretary's son, but when asked by the guard his true identity, The Secretary replies he is "no one."

Set nine months after the events of ''Stolen'', or as Paige observes at the beginning of the novel "nine months, three weeks and two days", ''Dime Store Magic'' begins with Paige receiving complaints from the Elders about Savannah, clearly not for the first time. The Elders hate trouble and object to anything that might draw attention to the Coven. The same day Paige receives a petition for custody of her ward from Leah O'Donnell, a half-demon involved in events at the compound the previous year.

Paige meets Leah and her lawyers, Gabriel Sandford, at the Cary Law Offices in East Falls. There she recognises Gabriel as a sorcerer. It is revealed that the custody claim comes not from Leah, but Savannah's father, Kristof Nast. Nast is the head of the Nast Sorcerer Cabal in Los Angeles, California.

After she gets home, Paige is confronted by Victoria and the other Elders who are concerned because Leah's intent to use Paige's status as a witch in the custody battle threatens to expose the Coven. Paige persuades them to give her three days to clear matters up. She then arranges a meeting with Grantham Cary Jr., the local lawyer. It is decided to request that Nast submit to DNA testing to prove his paternity claim. Sandford, as Paige expected, refuses on behalf of his client.

In order to force her to submit, Leah and associates begin a dirty tricks campaign that includes placing a hand of glory on her property and setting up satanic altars in the fields behind. Paige comes under investigation by the town sheriff's department and also the social services.

At this point, Lucas Cortez turns up on Paige's doorstep and offers his services. His offer is refused as witches do not trust sorcerers. The media set up camp outside Paige's house and, on a drive into town to pick up a takeaway, Paige's car is deliberately run into by Grantham Cary Jr because she refused his offer of paying his fees by sharing his bed. Furious, she confronts his wife at his house and then returns home. Cary leaves a message on her answering machine asking her to come to his office to talk. However, when she gets there it is to discover Leah is there too. The half-demon uses her powers to throw Cary out of a window, framing Paige for his murder.

Paige is taken to the police station, from where she is released by Lucas Cortez, despite Paige's protests. They then go to a Coven meeting, but receive little support from the other members. Angry, Paige agrees to talk to Lucas and he provides her with background information on the Cabals.

The next day Paige receives a call telling her to come to the funeral home to pick up her file from Cary's people. Thinking this is strange, as it is currently Cary's visitation, Paige nonetheless agrees and she and Savannah go to the home. However, whilst they are there Nast employees stage a scene that involves bodies raising from the dead and illusions. Paige and Savannah are rescued by Lucas. The police arrive but are forced to let them go.

Events continue to escalate with other incidents occurring. The Coven get increasingly anxious, and Social Services turn up to check on Savannah. However, the interview does not go well as Savannah is upset - at least until she discovers that she has begun to menstruate. Cortez grows concerned because the menses ceremony associated with a witch's first period can be vital to ensuring her loyalty to her Cabal and he believes that this will increase the urgency of any action Leah and her colleagues take.

Paige also grows curious about the differences between witch and sorcerer magic. She starts to realise that there were once several grades of spell: primary, secondary and tertiary. However, at some point the higher level spells were lost or deliberately destroyed, only a few surviving in old grimoires that the Coven Elders refuse to let the other witches use. These grimoires are kept by Savannah's aunt, Margaret. When they visit her to borrow her car, Paige takes the grimoires. She, Savannah and Lucas then drive to Salem, Massachusetts. There, the two witches argue. Savannah insists on the ceremony her mother wished to use, not the Coven approved one Paige underwent. Paige finally agrees to Savannah's wish, but the ceremony requires them to get certain ingredients which requires them to go to the cemetery. Afterwards, Paige shares the knowledge of the grimoires with Lucas and they become lovers.

The next day Paige's house is fire-bombed, and she and Savannah are kidnapped by the Nast Cabal. Nast presents his claim to Savannah. Savannah agrees to it provided she can have Paige do the originally planned ceremony and also that Paige can stay. Kristof Nast accepts. They then meet Greta and Olivia Enwright. They are supposed to be teaching Savannah, however during this lessons they force her to sacrifice a boy and drink his blood. Savannah is deeply upset. Nast denies any knowledge. Sandford observes that the Cabal Witches had expected Greta's daughter to succeed her, not Savannah, and that the ritual might have been a form of revenge.

Paige is secured and gagged so that she can't spellcast. Sandford brings her to the notice of Lucas' family and one visits her. He orders her death by sundown. Friesen takes her away to kill her, but Paige manages to escape. When she returns to Nast's house, it is to find all hell has broken loose in her absence. Savannah has called a demon as she attempts to raise her mother from the dead. Nast is killed trying to save his daughter. Lucas tells Paige a spell that will permit her to look like Eve Levine temporarily. They use this to get Savannah out of the house.