William Nessen, an American freelance journalist, travels to Aceh, Indonesia to cover the conflict which was taking place there at the time. Shot over a period of four years, ''The Black Road'' follows Nessen as he transforms from being an objective journalist to a supporter of the Free Aceh Movement (Gerakan Aceh Merdeka, or GAM).[http://australianscreen.com.au/titles/black-road/ The Black Road: on the front line of Aceh's war (2005) – australian screen]

While the 2004 tsunami made Aceh, an Indonesian Province on the northern tip of Sumatra, well known across the world, most people remain ignorant of its 27-year struggle for independence.

William Nessen first travelled to Aceh in 2001, as a print journalist. At this point, Nessen had no plans for a film, but recorded footage which he intended to sell to television networks. He began to visit General Bambang Darmono, the leader of the Indonesian military in Aceh. Gaining the trust of General Darmono, Nessen was able to obtain information and shooting opportunities that would have been unavailable to most other journalists. During this period he fell in love with a trusted military translator, Sya’diah Syeh Marhaban, who was a spy for the separatist movement. They worked together, continuing to extract sensitive information from General Darmono. Nessen, as his collection of footage grew, thought of making a film. This idea would later evolve into The Black Road.

Nessen and Marhaban were married in Aceh. Only a few days after the wedding Nessen’s best man, a human rights activist, was kidnapped and murdered by Indonesian security forces.[http://www.electricpictures.com.au/pages/credits/black.html The Black Road]

"Risk hunters" are professionals who handle jobs considered too tough for normal law enforcement, such as kidnappings, combatting terrorism, and preventing murders. One man who stands above them all however is the legendary Chameleon Jail, who has the ability to manipulate his "kara" or internal human body energy in order to physically change his appearance into that of any other person. Throughout the series, he pursues several assignments on behalf of various clients given to him by Shall, a woman who runs a detective agency in New York City. All difficult, the successful completion of these assignments hinges on Jail's ability to change his appearance when the time is right.

Greta is 17, a bright and beautiful young woman. She is also rebellious as a result of her turbulent home life. Pushed aside by her mother, Karen, who is on her third marriage, Greta is shipped off to her grandparents for the summer, staying with them in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. She is not happy about it and neither are the grandparents. She tells them that she fully intends to kill herself before the summer is over and compiles a notebook of suicide methods.

Greta's snarky attitude results in her being offered a job as a waitress at a local seafood restaurant. While working there, her odd sense of humor makes her attractive to many customers. Greta falls for a charismatic short-order cook named Julie. When he reveals to her that he was once in a juvenile correctional facility for stealing cars, Greta is even more attracted to him. Julie tells her that his experience made him determined to do something positive with his life and he attempts to convince Greta to not give up on hers. He is alarmed when he sees Greta's "suicide list".

The police come as a result of neighbors having seen Julie enter an upper story window. Julie demonstrates his respect for Greta when she attempts to lose her virginity to him. He tells her he will not be one of the things she checks off of her "to-do list" and that it has to be another time. At first the grandparents are upset with Julie for being there. Greta is called inside, and explains to her grandparents he was there at her request. The grandfather goes outside and squares things with the police. Julie tells the grandparents that he sincerely cares for Greta.

Although Greta's grandparents Katherine and Joseph are initially concerned about her boyfriend's criminal past, Julie proves himself worthy of their trust and demonstrates that he truly cares for Greta. Joseph tells him about Greta's father, who committed suicide in front of Greta when she was very young.

While the four are out sailing in Joseph's boat, Greta attempts to drown herself. Julie rescues her, but the fright still causes Katherine to have a mild heart attack. Katherine is given a positive prognosis by a doctor and she and her husband stay the night at a local hospital. Julie is mad at Greta, telling her that she should appreciate the life she has. The near catastrophe gives Greta a wake-up call and shows her how deeply her own actions affect those around her.

Once Katherine gets back from the hospital, Greta is determined to show her how sorry she is. Katherine is still furious, telling Greta she doesn't really know what she is sorry about. They have a heart-to-heart conversation, interrupted by Greta's mother and her current husband, who have come to take Greta to a summer boot camp. The grandparents are shocked at the mother's abrasive behavior.

Greta escapes to Julie who tells her that as messed up as she may be, a boot camp will never help her if she does not want to help herself. Julie's advice calms Greta and she returns to the house to find her mother has already packed up her things. Joseph arrives and interrupts them all telling Karen that Greta does not need a boot camp, she needs love, and that Greta and Karen will both be staying with them.

The three women bond looking at old pictures and the film ends with Greta leaving her suicide notebook in the ocean and in a voice over (letter to her mom) thanking her for letting her stay for the rest of the summer with her grandparents.

Antonio (Vittorio De Sica) is in love with the midwife Annarella (Marisa Merlini), knowing that she has a son. Both of them are in love with each other, until the father of the kid, who also serves in the military, appears and, with the help of the priest Don Emidio (Virgilio Riento), is reunited with his son.

Having to spend the next twenty months far from the village, Pietro (Roberto Risso) asks the marshal to take care of Maria (Gina Lollobrigida). Despite not being happy to spend time with the captain, because of her poverty and her need to collect the dowry, she goes to serve at the marshal’s house, since his maid, Caramella (Tina Pica), is ill.

The villagers start spreading gossips about the marshal and Maria, which will reach to Pietro too. One day, during a lunch at the house of Maria's cousin, the marshal dances with her and is seen by both Pietro and Annarella. Seeing them dancing intimately, Maria and Pietro break up. As the relationship is over, Maria leaves the house and joins a dancing group. Her mother asks the marshal to help her, saying that she is under-aged. When the marshal goes for an enquiry, the owner of the dance company convinces the mother of Maria with money, while the marshal discovers that she is not actually under age. Maria tries to seduce the marshal but without success.

Finally Pietro and Maria will be reunited and will leave the village. The marshal comes wave them goodbye at the station. While going back, he meets a middle aged bachelor lady who's going to the village as the new midwife.

Román Maldonado (Ricardo Darín) was born during a carnival fair held at "Luna de Avellaneda", a sports and social club located in Avellaneda, Buenos Aires province. He is made a member for life, and the club becomes a central part of his life.

The club used to have over 8,000 members in its heyday, but in the 2000s membership has dwindled to some 300. The neighbourhood is decaying, the surviving inhabitants are struggling financially and gatherings are hardly what they used to be. To top things off, Román discovers his wife Verónica is having an affair, and their marriage finds itself at its worst.

Together with Amadeo Grimberg (Eduardo Blanco) and Graciela (Mercedes Morán), friends from the club, he must fight for the survival of the place before it is sold off and turned into a casino.

The film chronicles the ups and downs of this fight, as well as Amadeo's struggling relationship with Cristina (Valeria Bertuccelli), Román's family crisis and the difficulties Graciela has after her husband leaves. In the end, a vote to keep the club alive is defeated 33 to 26, and the main characters find themselves parting ways in a bittersweet manner. The ending is however upbeat, as Román finds hope in finding his old club membership card, and together with Amadeo hints that they will start a new one.

Ator The Fighting Eagle returns again, sans sidekick Thong, to the legendary realm of Dragor to do battle with Phaedra, an evil sorceress. Her main weapon is an unstoppable warrior, known as the Master of the Sword, who continuously battles Ator to a draw, until finally revealing his secret connection to the Blademaster.

Ivón, a chorus girl, and Hugo, a failed writer, turn up at a provincial hotel on a stormy night. They have come from Madrid with Carlos, Hugo's son, born nineteen years earlier after a casual affair. They decide to lean over the cliffs to look at the angry waves down below – and Carlos falls to his death.

A telephone operator is walking out with a handsome police sergeant; her father insists that the husband for her is a plump, comfortable grocery store owner. The Lady picks up her jewels from the jewellery and brings them home, followed by a jewel thief on a stolen bicycle. She puts them in her safe, and goes to give the telephone girl a present of a necklace in thanks for her work. As the Lady answers the telephone and accepts the Telephone Girl's effusive thanks, the door creaks open – it is the masked thief! She tells the girl on the other end of the line that she's being robbed. While the thief grills the lady, the telephone girl calls the police, but there's a riot and calls about that prevent her getting through. She runs out of the exchange and spots the sergeant conveniently riding by. He lifts her onto his horse and they gallop to the rescue. Meanwhile, with an implicit rape threat the thief has forced the lady to reveal the safe concealed behind a picture. Just in time, the sergeant bursts in as the thief escapes with the jewels. After a rousing fight, helped by the feisty telephone girl and neighbours including a lady in a huge hat, the sergeant drags away the thief. The lady rewards the sergeant and the lovers fall into each other's arms.

Juan (Jorge Mistral) returns to town after being locked up for ten years for a crime he did not commit. Together with his sister Andrea (Carmen Sevilla) they decide to take revenge on who they believe is to blame for the family's ills: Luis "el Torcido" (Raf Vallone). To do this, the two brothers will join a gang of reapers looking for work in the fields of Castilla and whose boss is their rival.

Jean-Marc Leblanc is a bureaucrat and a once passionate supporter of the Quebec sovereignty movement. His wife, Sylvie, and daughters are no longer interested in him. At work, he is repeatedly bothered by his superior Carole who berates him for issues such as taking longer breaks than allowed, and for calling black Canadian co-worker William a "Negro", though Jean-Marc insists he simply said William "slaves like a Negro" and William was not personally disturbed by it. Faced with a complete lack of a sex life, he tells his co-workers he is left with masturbation.

Jean-Marc begins to entertain fantasies about women, and about revenge on his co-workers, while sharing how he feels his life turned out to be less than he anticipated. One of his fantasies revolves around a character named Veronica Star, a beautiful woman he showers with. Through speed dating, he also meets a female ''Lord of the Rings'' enthusiast who takes him to a Middle Ages-themed fair.

The story is about a friendship between two writers, one a novelist, the other a screenwriter.

After becoming stranded in a small town called Hope, Elizabeth "Liz" Chambers, (Jaimie Alexander) discovers her arrival was foretold a century earlier by the town's founding preacher Jonas Hathaway (Nick Chinlund) and that she is an integral part of his impending—and terrifying—rebirth. Forced to stay overnight in the town, Liz meets Sarah Austin (Hudson Leick), a reporter for a tabloid newspaper, who is in town to investigate legends of living scarecrows. The townspeople of Hope once sacrificed people by nailing them to crosses in the cornfields until a young girl alerted residents of the nearby town of Liberty. Horrified to learn of the murders going on in Hope, the townspeople of Liberty nailed the local preacher who spearheaded the sacrifices to a cross. Legend contends that one day he will be reborn.

Sarah persuades Liz to accompany her to the cornfield. At the cornfield, Sarah takes photos of a scarecrow that she and Liz construct and hang on a cross, intending to use the photograph for the newspaper's front page. Sarah is later attacked and killed by the scarecrow, which comes to life. The scarecrow tries to kill Liz as well but she manages to escape in the squad car of a deputy, who is killed upon arriving at the scene.

She drives to the sheriff's office, where she tells her tale. When the deputy is unable to reach anyone by radio or phone, he leaves Liz alone while he goes to find out the problem. Liz is able to fend off the scarecrow when it arrives, stalking her. She tries to flee in her car but sees that the engine has been removed. She takes refuge with the town's preacher (Ethan Phillips), but discovers that the preacher is the leader of the townspeople, who worship the spirit of the founding preacher. The preacher intends to bring the spirit back to life by fathering a child with Liz, whom the spirit can possess. The sheriff arrives in time to stop the townspeople, but loses consciousness in a car crash. When the clergyman tries to rape Liz, she fends him off and escapes.

As she flees, she finds Sabrina (Chloë Grace Moretz), a child hiding in an underground shelter. Her parents were killed by the scarecrow, but she had escaped. Meanwhile, the townspeople set out in search of Liz. Liz hides Sabrina in a hole in the cornfield while she goes for help. She makes it to the next town only to find everyone dead. She is picked up by the sheriff, who escaped, and Liz tells him about Sabrina and jokes that the townspeople think she is a virgin. When they return to the cornfield, Liz discovers that the sheriff has been possessed by the spirit of the evil preacher.

The preacher now goes in search of Sabrina as Liz is not pure. Sabrina sneaks into the farmhouse and sets it on fire. The townspeople let Liz and Sabrina escape while they burn the body of the preacher, as the prophecy tells them to. Liz flees with the child, but the spirit of the preacher possesses the body of Sabrina's father, who they encounter hanging on one of the crosses in the cornfield. Vines ensnare Liz as the animated corpse appeals to Sabrina.

A murder of crows appear and the townspeople believe it is a good omen, until the crows attack and kill them, as well as attacking Sabrina's father, allowing Liz to extract herself from the vines. Liz and Sabrina escape, hitching a ride from a truck driver who is passing through the area. He turns on the radio, and a song comes on that reminds Liz and Sabrina of their ordeal. Liz turns the radio off, and they continue down the road, leaving Hope behind.

The action in ''Haunted Spooks'' centres around Harold's romantic problems. It is set in the South ("[go] down the Mississippi and turn to the right").

The opening sequence has an uncle reading a telegram regarding a will. It tells him that his niece Mildred will inherit the house and plantation provided she lives there for a year with her husband. He tells his wife that they must scare them out of the house. A lawyer visits the niece to tell her of the will. She tells him she isn't married and he says he can resolve the problem.

We then jump to Harold who is disappointed in love and vying for the attention of the Other Girl in rivalry with her other potential suitor. They compete to be first to ask her father for her hand in marriage. Harold wins but when he returns to the girl she is in the arms of yet a third man, so he gives up. He then tries, with notable lack of success, to commit suicide. Firstly using a gun he finds on a path, which turns out to be a water-pistol; then standing in front of a tram, which takes a sudden turn; then he ties a rock around his neck and jumps off a low bridge into a lake, but this fails as it is only inches deep; he then picks a second bridge, but lands in a boat; and finally stands in front of a car, which stops in time, but contains the lawyer from the earlier scene. He takes Harold to Mildred and arranges their marriage.

They then drive off to the mansion, with some jokes en route: the gesticulating passengers in the car in front appear to be signalling right then left, preventing overtaking; the birds in the back seat pecking his head.

They reach the mansion and the uncle plays a series of tricks to make the house appear haunted. A series of people appear in white sheets and covered in flour until the prank is uncovered. In a more unusual prank a pair of trousers walk on their own, having a little black boy inside. We see Harold's hair stand on end then fall.

The film ends with the couple inquiring about each other's name and entering the bedroom together.

Adrienne Willis (Diane Lane) is in the process of getting a divorce from her husband Jack (Christopher Meloni) after he left her for another woman. Their separation has caused a rift between Adrienne and her rebellious teenage daughter, Amanda (Mae Whitman). One morning, when picking up Amanda and his son Danny (Charlie Tahan) for a weekend visit, Jack tells Adrienne he still loves her and wants to move back home. She tells him she needs time and space to think.

Adrienne drives to Rodanthe, North Carolina to look after a friend's (Viola Davis) bed-and-breakfast for the weekend. It is a house right on the beach, partially in the surf at high tide. The only guest for the weekend is surgeon Paul Flanner (Richard Gere). He suffers from flashbacks of a surgery that ended tragically, which has made him cold and frustrated. The family of the patient who died live in Rodanthe and is suing him for wrongful death.

As a storm arrives, Paul and Adrienne work together to protect the inn. They dine together, share stories, and eventually turn to each other for emotional support. A genuine romance begins and they fall in love. With Adrienne's advice and moral support, Paul finds the courage to visit the deceased patient's widower. He also feels guilty for passing up a relationship with his son Mark (James Franco) in favor of his career. He eventually decides to visit Ecuador, where Mark is working as a physician in an impoverished community.

During their separation, Adrienne and Paul exchange numerous letters expressing their longing to be together again. On the evening that Adrienne and Paul are to reunite, he does not show up. One afternoon, Mark arrives at Adrienne's door with a box of Paul's personal belongings. Paul had been killed in a flash mudslide while attempting to save medical supplies. Mark thanks Adrienne for "giving him back the father he knew when he was a child".

Over the following weeks, Adrienne struggles with the grief of losing Paul. Eventually, Amanda coaxes the story from her mother. A turning point for their relationship, Adrienne begins to deal with her loss. She tells her daughter the story of the very special type of love she found with Paul, and encourages her daughter to seek that for herself someday.

Adrienne returns to Rodanthe and sees a small herd of wild horses on the beach by the inn. She, her children, and her best friend walk down to the dock where Adrienne and Paul once danced.

Just before she dies, an elderly married woman stashes the horde of money she's secretly accumulated beneath the false bottom of an old shipping trunk. After her death, her husband, believing himself penniless, has to leave their old home and move in with his son's family, where he's treated with no respect or consideration. Also on the scene is a newly hired kindly young housekeeper (Mary Pickford); she and the old gentleman become close friends and eventually run away together (taking the old shipping trunk with them).

A British army officer, Captain James Wingate, is left disgraced when he takes the blame for his cousin Henry's misappropriation of the regiment's charitable fund. He is also in love with Henry's wife, Diana, who loves him in return and knows he is innocent and her husband guilty. They both agree he must leave the country to save her marriage and their honour. He heads to the Wild West of the United States, taking over a ranch in Montana.

A local bootlegger, Cash Hawkins, wants James' land as a smuggling route from Mexico, and also tries to force a beautiful Indian woman, Naturich, to his will. James rescues her, earning her gratitude and love; when Cash Hawkins openly comes in to kill him, James does not resist because he is pining over a picture of Lady Diana and wants to die. Naturich shoots Cash dead. The sheriff and his friends are for Cash and against James, but cannot pin Cash's "murder" on James; Naturich goes unsuspected. She follows James home and saves him from two of Cash's friends who shoot and wound him; in gratitude, he lets her stay with him. We later learn that he marries her and they have a son, Hal.

Years later, Henry, who is being unfaithful to Diana, is killed in a hunting accident, and confesses to the theft as he dies. Sir John Applegate, Diana's friend, finds out James' whereabouts and arrives at the ranch with her, on Hal's fifth birthday. The little boy is glorying in the model railroad James' ranch hands have given him and being lukewarm about his mother's handmade wooden horse. James longs desperately to return to England, and is agonized by what might have been with Diana; however, he remains true to Naturich and introduces her as his wife to the surprised guests.

Later, Sir John convinces James to let him take Hal back with him to England, where the boy will be educated in the finest schools and become worthy to inherit the earldom. When her son is taken against her wishes, a grieving Naturich goes to the hills to pray; as Sir John and Diana prepare to leave with Hal, the sheriff and his friends turn up to arrest or shoot Naturich, having after more than five years of top notch detective work found her purse at Cash's death scene and realizing that she killed him. Naturich sneaks back in time to see her son depart; she goes into the boy's room, and, as James has a standoff at gunpoint with the sheriff on the front steps, she shoots herself, holding the wooden horse she made for Hal. All hear the shot and rush in, and Naturich dies in James's arms.

A decade ago, an orphanage has been rebuilt after being burned down following accusations of child molestation and abuse from the building's custodian, resulting him to An orphanage rebuilt a decade after it was burned down following accusations of child molestation and abuse by the building's custodian, a group of medical students is brought in by pediatrician-turned-doctor to rebuild the building as a foster home, as a psychotic masked assailant stalks them.

In New York City, high-strung commodity futures trader Joy Ellis McNally (Cameron Diaz) is dumped by fiancé Mason at his surprise birthday party which she throws. At the same time, easy-going carpenter Jack Fuller Jr. (Ashton Kutcher) is fired by his father, Jack Sr. Both are distraught and, with best friends Toni "Tipper" (Lake Bell), who is a bartender, and Jeff "Hater" (Rob Corddry), a lawyer, take debauched trips to Las Vegas.

Joy and Jack meet by chance when given the same hotel room due to a computer error. Once the misunderstanding is cleared up and receiving upgraded rooms and coupons to various clubs, they party and drink together and end up getting married. The next morning, agreeing it was a mistake, they plan to divorce.

Before they can, Jack uses a quarter Joy gives him in a slot machine. He hits a three million dollar jackpot and Joy reminds him they are married and hence, she is entitled to half of the money. They return to New York, where they attempt to divorce. The judge declares they cannot divorce until they attempt to co-exist for six months, while attending weekly sessions with marriage counselor Dr. Twitchell. If they work at the marriage but still want to divorce after six months, each can keep half the winnings. If either party does not cooperate, the money will be tied up in litigation by the judge.

The newlyweds devise more and more cunning schemes to undermine each other, such as Jack telling Joy that their counseling session is canceled to show she is not committed, and Joy inviting girls to their apartment to seduce him, throwing a party. Jack gives Joy's ex-fiancé, Mason, her engagement ring back without Joy knowing. However, at Joy's work retreat, they unexpectedly find themselves attracted to each other.

Returning from the retreat, it is time for the judge to decide what happens to the money. On her way to the hearing, Joy sees Mason, who tells her he wants her back. Giving back the engagement ring, he tells her she is good enough for him. Joy thinks Jack set her up with Mason to cheat on him to guarantee divorce. She walks away from Mason and goes to the hearing. There, the marriage counselor testifies that the couple worked on the marriage. The judge decides they will split the remaining 1.4 million dollars (after taxes, bills Joy ran up, and money Jack spent on his new woodworking business). Joy tells the judge she does not want any of the money and as she leaves she gives the engagement ring to Jack, telling him she wants nothing from him.

Joy is offered the promotion, but declines it, telling her boss she would rather be happy doing nothing than miserable doing something she hates. Jack's parents tell him it looks like he and Joy are in love. Realizing his mistake, he goes to find her. Tipper tells Jack that she quit her job and nobody knows where she is. He suspects that she has gone to Fire Island, New York, the only place that makes her feel truly happy. Finding her, Jack proposes (again) and she says yes.

During the closing credits, there are scenes from the day Jack and Joy get married, of Tipper and Hater subsequently enacting a plan of revenge on Mason, and of Hater cutting off Dave.

Evan Danielson is a successful financial advisor, who had been working at the same securities firm for eight years as their top account manager, until Johnny Whitefeather was hired as his rival. Whitefeather seems to have the whole company under a spell as he spiels his nonsensical idioms filled with Native American mumbo jumbo. The top executives seem more content with chanting Indian-style noises rather than listening to how they can make money through sound investments.

When Evan discovers that his daughter, Olivia is able to tell the future within the financial world by using her "goo-gaa" comfort blanket and her imaginary friends (Queen Qwali and Princesses Kupida, Sopida and Mopida), he discovers that he now has an invaluable upper hand at the office.

During work, Olivia draws all over Evan's worksheets for a meeting. Outraged, Evan goes to the meeting and he shows off the paperwork and explains that ChemStar is sparkly, and Aerodyne and Yellowfin will get married, confusing his colleagues. Evan thinks he is about to be fired, but his boss informs him that all his predictions came through. The share price of ChemStar shot up, while Aerodyne and Yellowfin were preparing to merge.

After only a few days with Olivia, Evan rediscovers his inner child, and has fun playing imaginary games with her. Whitefeather becomes suspicious and begins to search for his secret. When he learns that Evan was just playing with a wakalyapi blanket, Whitefeather pays six thousand dollars for one, forcing his son to tell him the "future" and keeping him up all night by making him drink cans of Red Bull.

Whitefeather and Evan are now competing for the position of head of the Western division of the company D.D.E. In order to be prepared for the most important presentation of his life, Evan once again needs to invoke the use of the Goo-Gaa blanket and meet with the princesses. However, Olivia is spending the night at her friend's house, and there is no way for Evan to obtain the Goo-Gaa without taking it from her. Also, the presentations will be held at the time of Olivia's class play.

Evan manages to get Olivia to give him the Goo-Gaa, but she is soon seen crying because he seems to care only about the blanket, not her. He returns home, tries to get the princesses' attention, then starts working on his presentation. As hours pass, Evan stretches, and the Goo-Gaa falls on the floor, but he continues working without noticing.

Evan decides to go to the presentation instead of Olivia's class concert. Johnny gives his presentation, but his idea is too crazy for the owner of the company. Then it is Evan's turn. When he is about to present, he suddenly decides to go to Olivia's class concert, and leaves the presentation. As he drives over, Evan changes into a king costume. At the concert, Olivia is about to sing her solo part when Evan appears dressed as a king, and she starts singing, delighted to see him.

After the class concert, Evan tells Olivia how sorry he is for misusing her blanket, seemingly not caring about her, and for using the princesses for the wrong reason. Evan and Olivia say good-bye to the princesses, as she says it's time to let them go. They both start waving and, although there's no wind, some leaves fly off into the sky.

Meanwhile, the owner of the company, D.D.E. appears, and wants to talk to Evan. He decides to give the position to Evan because of how much he cares about his family. Evan accepts.

Evan, Olivia's mother Trish, and Olivia leave happy.

In a small Southern town, couple Ted and Angie are brutally murdered while having sex down by the riverfront, and their bodies throw into the water.

Several days later, Bob and Kathy, both young college students home for summer vacation, make plans to attend the traveling carnival on its last night. Later, Lily, a timid waitress at the local diner, feels she is being followed as she walks home. The next day, Lily visits the carnival with her grandmother Agnes, as does Bob and Kathy, well as Sheila, a local grocery clerk; a young coed named Walker; the nubile Ramona and her boyfriend, Tom; and prankster Diddle and his girlfriend, Sandy. Together, the group make plans to have a bonfire near the river that night.

During the carnival, Neil Marshall, a local coach whom Bob and Kathy work for, makes romantic advances toward Lily. When his jealous ex-girlfriend Sara witnesses this, she covers Neil's car in shaving cream. Shortly after, while sitting alone in an unpopulated part of the carnival, she is shot with an arrow, and stumbles to an abandoned carousel, where an assailant suffocates her to death with a plastic bag.

At nightfall, Lily drops off Bob and Kathy at their homes, and they convince her to meet them later at the river for the planned bonfire. Ramona arrives at Neil's house and makes sexual advances toward him, but he rebukes her. She leaves in tears, and is confronted by the local sheriff, Avery, who denigrates her and blames her for a car accident she was in that resulted in his son, Casey, sustained a brain injury that left him intellectually disabled. Shortly after, Avery's wife phones him and tells him Casey has run away from home.

Neil prepares to leave for the bonfire, but hears noises in the attic above his garage. Shortly after, Avery arrives at Neil's house, and finds the garage covered in blood before a corpse falls from the rafters. Meanwhile, at the bonfire, Sandy decides to go swimming alone in the river while Ramona and Walker begin making out. While floating in the water, the corpses of Ted and Angie drift into Sandy, and her throat is subsequently slashed by the killer. Shortly after, Ted, Kathy, and Lily arrive at the bonfire, and the group all decide to visit the local cemetery, a short distance away through the woods. The group begin to tell scary stories, but are interrupted by a rainstorm.

Seeking shelter from the storm, the group break into a nearby abandoned house. Diddle ventures outside to use an outhouse, and the group plan to scare him. After waiting several minutes, they barge into the outhouse, but find his bloody corpse hanging from the ceiling. Walker rushes to retrieve his truck, with Sheila following him. Walker is decapitated by the killer upon arriving at his truck; Sheila meets the same fate shortly after. Tom finds their severed heads, and falls victim to the killer moments later in the cemetery. Lily, Kathy, Bob, and Ramona are soon attacked by the killer, who breaks into the house. As they try to flee upstairs, Ramona falls through the broken staircase and is murdered. The killer, revealed to be Neil, bursts into the attic. He attempts to attack Lily, but she manages to kill him by slashing his throat with a shard of broken glass.

Sheriff Avery—having earlier discovered his son Casey's body in Neil's garage—arrives at the abandoned house, and watches as Neil crashes through a broken window. Avery shoots Neil multiple times in the head, avenging his son. Multiple police arrive on the scene to save Lily, Bob, and Kathy. Meanwhile, the corpses of Angie, Ted, and Sandy float in the river against the edge of a dam.

After a hotel reservation mix up, two sisters Karen and Jennifer, and their friend Vicki Thompson, meet a friendly but shady character named Ernest Keller, the owner of a small town museum near Solvang, California. Ernest convinces the three women into accepting an invitation for cheap room and board at his large farmhouse outside of town, where he lives with his wife Virginia. Once there, Jennifer and Karen leave for the Dutch cultural festival which Jennifer is completing a story on. At the festival, Jennifer is met by her estranged boyfriend, Tony, who gets her to stay behind to talk about their relationship.

Meanwhile, back at the house, Vicki prepares to take a nap in her room, but is attacked by an unseen figure. The figure eventually begins to pull Vicki into a floor vent; when she tries to escape, the grate of the vent slams down on her neck, killing her. At the parade, Karen leaves Jennifer and Tony to talk, and makes her way back to the house alone, where she too is then attacked and killed by the unseen, as it attempts to pull her by her scarf through a vent into the basement. Virginia, who had been in the barn slaughtering a chicken, soon after comes inside to find the bodies of both Vicki and Karen, and is distraught.

When Ernest arrives back at the house, he finds Virginia in shock over the murders. It is revealed that Virginia and Ernest are, in fact, brother and sister, and that Ernest had murdered his own sadistic father over 20 years ago in order to maintain his incestuous relationship with Virginia. They keep their inbred son named "Junior" locked up in the basement, where he is often viciously beaten by Ernest. Ernest convinces the subservient Virginia that Jennifer must be killed upon her return, in order to keep everything under cover.

When Jennifer gets back that evening, she is lured into the basement by Ernest, who locks her inside. She wanders around looking for a way out, only to stumble upon Karen and Vicki's dead bodies. In a panic, she is confronted by Junior, an intellectually disabled and infantile grown man. Junior attempts to play with Jennifer, but she is frightened by his rough behavior. Ernest comes into the basement to kill Jennifer, but Virginia, having had a change of heart, attempts to stop him. Ernest attacks Virginia, but Junior, enraged by the sight, intervenes to protect his mother. Ernest kills Junior by stabbing him in the head.

Jennifer escapes the basement, pursued by Ernest. Tony, who has returned to try to rekindle his relationship with Jennifer, tries to intervene but stumbles due to his leg injury. As Ernest is about to kill Jennifer, Virginia shoots him to death. She then returns to the basement to hold Junior's corpse.

Note that there are several plot differences between the album, the film, and the stage production, though the general storyline is largely the same.

Prologue

An opening montage of London is presented, beginning in 1940 with the initial meeting and then marriage of the Walkers. Amidst World War II, the husband, Captain Walker, parachutes into Germany, where he is captured as a prisoner of war by the Nazis ("Overture"). Back in London at 22 Heathfield Gardens, the captain's brother Ernie delivers a care package to the pregnant Mrs Walker just as two officers arrive at the home to announce the disappearance and presumed death of her husband ("Captain Walker").

Act I

The following year, two nurses gently hand Mrs Walker her newborn son, Tommy; later, in 1945, American troops liberate Captain Walker's POW camp, proclaiming the end of the war ("It's a Boy" / "We've Won"). Mrs Walker has since attained a new lover, and they celebrate her twenty-first birthday and discuss marriage together with four-year-old Tommy ("Twenty-One"). To their surprise, Captain Walker enters the house and a fight erupts between Captain Walker and the boyfriend. Mrs Walker turns Tommy away, but he watches his father shoot the boyfriend to death through a large mirror. Captain and Mrs Walker embrace but soon realize what Tommy has witnessed, and violently shake him, telling him he did not see or hear anything ("What About the Boy"). The police arrive; Tommy simply gazes at the mirror in silence. A narrator—Tommy's older self—appears to the audience, introducing and framing the story of his exceptional childhood ("Amazing Journey").

Captain Walker is tried for murder but found not guilty by reasons of self-defense. However, Tommy fails to celebrate his father's release, and his family quickly realizes that he has apparently gone deaf, mute, and blind. Tommy's parents have him undergo a battery of medical tests, to no avail ("Sparks"). At ten years of age, Tommy's unresponsive state remains unchanged ("Amazing Journey – Reprise"). The Walkers all go to church and host a Christmas family dinner, though the family is unnerved that Tommy does not know that it is Christmas or understand its significance ("Christmas"). Everyone is stunned when Tommy responds only to his uncle Ernie's playing the French horn. Mr Walker, in a desperate attempt to reach his son, shouts "Tommy, can you hear me?" multiple times. Older Tommy, only visible to young Tommy, who persistently stares at the mirror, sings to him ("See Me, Feel Me").

The Walkers leave Tommy with a slew of vicious babysitters, including alcoholic and sexually abusive Uncle Ernie ("Do You Think It's Alright?" and "Fiddle About"), as well as his cousin Kevin, a sadistic bully ("Cousin Kevin"). Cousin Kevin and his friends take Tommy to a youth club where, to everyone's astonishment, Tommy plays pinball brilliantly ("Sensation"). Meanwhile, another doctor, a psychiatrist, tests Tommy yet again with no success ("Sparks – Reprise"). The desperate Captain Walker is approached by The Hawker and Harmonica Player ("Eyesight to the Blind") who promise a miraculous cure for Tommy. They take young Tommy to the Isle of Dogs to find a prostitute called The Gypsy, who tries to convince Captain Walker to let her spend time alone with Tommy, introducing him to drugs ("The Acid Queen"). Horrified by her methods, Captain Walker snatches Tommy away. By 1958, Tommy has apparently become a pinball-playing expert as Cousin Kevin and a group of adolescents await 17-year-old Tommy's appearance at the amusement arcade, where his rise to local popularity has begun ("Pinball Wizard").

Act II

By 1960, Tommy has become the local pinball champion and hero of the neighborhood lads ("Underture"). Captain Walker persists unsuccessfully in seeking doctors and a cure for Tommy ("There's a Doctor" and "Go to the Mirror!"). One doctor discovers that Tommy's senses do function but not at a self-aware or openly expressive level. On the street, a group of local louts surround Tommy ("Tommy, Can You Hear Me?") and carry him home. The Walkers, at their wits' end, passionately confront each other in an effort to reconcile and face the reality that Tommy might never be cured ("I Believe My Own Eyes"). Captain Walker leaves Mrs. Walker with Tommy. Tommy stares into the mirror blankly as his mother tries desperately to reach him one last time, before smashing the mirror in a rage ("Smash the Mirror"). With the mirror in pieces, Tommy suddenly becomes fully lucid and interactive for the first time since the age of four, and he leaves home ("I'm Free"). Through 1961 to 1963, news of Tommy's miraculous regaining of full consciousness receives huge media attention ("Miracle Cure"), Tommy is idolized by the public and the press ("Sensation – Reprise"), and he begins appearing in packed stadiums, playing pinball with a helmet that temporarily blinds and deafens him ("Pinball Wizard – Reprise"). Uncle Ernie tries to capitalise on Tommy's newfound stardom, by selling cheap souvenirs for a grand opening party of Tommy's new holiday camp, resulting from Tommy's cult-like following ("Tommy's Holiday Camp"). That night, an adolescent fan named Sally Simpson falls from the stage in her eagerness to touch Tommy and is pummeled by guards ("Sally Simpson"). Tommy, in horror, stops the show and tends to Sally. He says he has had enough and decides to go home.

Realizing how caught up in celebrity he has become, Tommy wishes to do something in return for his fans and invites them all back to his house ("Welcome"). Once there, the population of fans keeps growing, though Tommy generously, but naïvely, wishes to welcome everyone equally. Sally then asks Tommy how she can be more like him and less like herself ("Sally Simpson's Question"). He is confused, and insists that there is no reason for anyone to be like him, when everyone else already possesses the amazing gifts that he was deprived of most of his life. He suddenly realises that he had thought his fame came from his miraculous recovery, when it in fact arose due to his fans desire for a spiritual leader, hoping he could communicate wisdom from his experience of not being able to hear, see, or talk for so long. Now, disenchanted with their hero for failing to provide the answers they wanted to be told to them, the crowd turns on him in anger and eventually leaves ("We're Not Gonna Take It"), leaving Tommy with just his family surrounding him. Tommy hears the voice of his ten-year-old self from the mirror ("See Me, Feel Me") and for a moment, to the horror of his family, seems to be reverting to his old state. Instead, he turns to his family, whom he has ignored during his stardom, and embraces them in acceptance, before he climactically reunites with his younger selves onstage ("Listening to You/Finale").

Plot differences between the three versions

The original 1969 album was much more ambiguous in its specific plot points than the stage musical and film versions. Originally, the song "Twenty-One" was called "1921" as the album version took place in a post-World War I setting. In the film, the story was changed to be post-World War II and the song was changed to "1951". In both the album and stage versions, the father comes home and kills the lover in the confrontation. Ken Russell's film made a reversal and killed Mr. Walker's character, having the lover then assume the role of a step-father to Tommy.

Pete Townshend made a number of lyrical changes to songs for the film version, many of which were utilized in the stage musical (these include revisions made to "It's a Boy", "Amazing Journey", and "Tommy's Holiday Camp", among others). The new pieces created for the film, however ("Bernie's Holiday Camp", "Champagne", "Mother and Son"), were not retained for the stage production. Instead, Townshend wrote a new piece called "I Believe My Own Eyes" in which the Walkers resign themselves to accepting Tommy's fate after years of trying.

Tommy's experience with the Acid Queen (Scene 11) is also handled differently between the album, movie, and stage productions. In both the album and movie, Tommy appears to have taken a drug from the Acid Queen which produced a visceral response in the otherwise mostly catatonic child. In the musical, his father brings him to see the Acid Queen, then changes his mind and leaves before Tommy partakes of her "charms."

The most fundamental difference in the story is the finale, which was rewritten in 1993. Originally, Tommy instructs his followers to become deaf, mute, and blind themselves to find a heightened state of enlightenment. The crowd rejects this and turns on him. In the stage version, Tommy tells them the opposite: to not try to emulate him, but to rather live out their own normal lives. Upon hearing this message, the crowd still rejects him out of a desire to hear a bolder message from him.

Somewhere in Wichita, Kansas, David is a potential college football star who's just won a four-year scholarship to a college somewhere in Oklahoma. His friends decide to throw him a serious farewell party while his parents are out that night, including D.B, Russell, Joni, Lisa, Frannie, Doug, Chris, Brenda, Mason, and Chuck. Unfortunately, three uninvited guests secretly gatecrash these nightly celebrations. Two are convicts named Runner and Snake who've fled from prison, now hiding out in the home's cellar, while the third interloper is a former mental patient with a connection to David himself.

The party goes into peak. Mason, sitting alone in a rocking chair, is impaled with a fireplace poker. Brenda, who feels rejected by Mason, leaves the party. While driving, someone in the back of the car grabs her, & she gets out and hides under a nearby abandoned car. The killer destroys the car lifter, which causes it to crush Brenda to death. Chris and Doug continue to watch pornography. Lisa, Russell, and D.B are drinking while Joni, a new classmate, feels insulted by them and runs upstairs while Lisa confronts Russell about his jokes. Soon after, Chris and Doug find another place to have sex. Joni talks to David about his friends. After making out, Chris goes to swim in the pool. Doug, resting in the sauna room, is killed by a light-bulb cable tossed into the hot stones, releasing poison gas. Soon after, Chris is killed by an axe to the head in the pool.

David is losing his temper, which causes Joni to worry. Frannie and Chuck make out in the Jacuzzi. Chuck goes to the kitchen to cook when the killer forces his face into the grilling pan and stabs his neck. Lisa goes down to the cellar to get more wine when Snake strangles her to death. Runner is upset by all the killings, and Snake suffocates him with cling film. Russell is choked to death with a pool cue, and Frannie is electrocuted in the Jacuzzi. David's parents hurry home to deliver his prescription when a cop pulls them over for speeding. D.B finds the dead bodies of Russell, Runner, and Lisa. As he attempts to search for others, he is stabbed in the gut. Snake attacks David and is about to kill him when the dying D.B. arrives and fatally stabs Snake. David reunites with Joni and learns she is insane and killed the others except for Lisa. Joni then tries to stab David as his parents and the cop arrives and opens fire. It is revealed that David had a hyperactivity disorder since he was a kid that causes him to lose his temper. David is blamed for the murders while a still-insane Joni recovers in the hospital.

Whitey Action is daughter of Ben Benson, the New Yorker Chief of the London police. When The Queen is killed by a gang of mutants, known as The Freebies, Whitey guesses they are behind the murder while her father's forces focus their attentions on a single 'a mutant insurgent' suspect. Terry Phoo, a highly trained combat cop from the Hong Kong JKD police force is called in by Benson's superior, Lord Rothwell, as he is supposedly an expert at fighting mutants. However, his investigative skills leave much to be desired. [http://msnukcars.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!9147D27F85A04C56!1503.entry Inside Track Image of the week: Phoo Action!C J Hubbard]

The Freebies are castigated by a mysterious group of sinister characters known as the Star Chamber for killing the Queen as they were supposed to mutate her, not murder her. The Star Chamber give the Freebies one last chance, demanding that William is mutated before he is crowned. While at a party in the Freebies nightclub, Whitey sees Princes William and Harry being led off by the Freebies, and she causes a big scene, preventing them from being captured but getting herself arrested by Terry Phoo. Convincing him that she is a special agent, he takes her to his hotel room, where, while looking for chocolate, she finds a case containing 'the Buddha's loincloth that transforms into a pair of hotpants, which she immediately tries on. Phoo is rather shocked by this, especially when she pulls a giant chocolate egg out of them and the legend of a 'Chosen One' who is destined to use their power is revealed. Whitey can pull anything she desires from the pants and Terry decides this means that she is the Chosen One.

Together Phoo and Action save the Princes from the evil plot to mutate them, and the subsequent plot to set the lead mutant, Jimmy Freebie, on the throne. The story ends, however, with William beginning to mutate as he is crowned, the Star Chamber seem to have won this battle despite the Freebies bungling and Phoo Action's best efforts.

Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and Jan Levinson (Melora Hardin) discuss her plans to renovate their condo. Not only are the plans costly, but Jan has forced several other changes at Michael's expense, such as trading in both cars to buy her a Porsche Boxster. Jim Halpert (John Krasinski) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) discover that Dwight Schrute (Rainn Wilson) is running Schrute Farm as an "agritourism" bed and breakfast. They spend the night there, taking part in table-making demonstrations, beet wine-making, distributing manure and having Dwight read an excerpt from ''Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows'' to them. That night, however, after a series of strange noises, Jim finds Dwight moaning in depression over Angela Martin (Angela Kinsey), while Pam discovers Dwight's Amish cousin Mose (Michael Schur) outside using an outhouse, to which she reacts "What century is this?"

Michael begins leaving the office early, refusing to explain himself to his employees and lying to Jan of his whereabouts. In reality, Michael has been combating heavy debt by working as a telemarketer until 1 a.m. At the office the next day, Ryan Howard (B. J. Novak) arrives to find a tired Michael who is unprepared for a presentation due to his moonlighting, and orders Michael to quit his night job or be fired from Dunder Mifflin. At the same time, Kelly Kapoor (Mindy Kaling) flaunts the fact that she is now dating Darryl Philbin (Craig Robinson) in an attempt to make Ryan jealous. They get into a fight when Darryl chooses to spend time with his daughter instead of going out with Kelly. After quitting his telemarketing job, Michael desperately attempts to come up with money.

Kelly and Darryl's continuing relationship proves to be dysfunctional, as she cannot comprehend his candor, and he finds her to be attractive yet "crazy." Creed Bratton (Creed Bratton) advises Michael to declare bankruptcy, which Michael does literally by walking into the office and shouting "I declare bankruptcy!", thinking this was all he needed to do. Upon reviewing Michael's financial situation, Oscar Martinez (Oscar Nunez) finds that Michael spends a large amount on useless items like magic kits and bass fishing equipment.

Meanwhile, Jim and Pam feel sorry for Dwight and attempt to cheer him up by posting a positive review of his bed & breakfast on TripAdvisor.com, which pleases him. However, Andy Bernard (Ed Helms) gains Angela's approval to ask her out on a date by giving her the cat (named Garbage) that Dwight had tried to give Angela earlier, sending Dwight spiraling into crushing depression. Dwight retreats to the stairwell to moan. Jim joins him and recounts his days pining for Pam and how miserable it made him feel, saying he would not wish it on his worst enemy, Dwight included, to experience it, and Dwight realizes that he is not without friends. Having re-opened his old memories, Jim re-enters the office, goes right to Pam and kisses her passionately, and indirectly confesses in an interview that he loves her. Jim and Pam are quietly pleased when Dwight returns to his desk along with his annoying and overbearing personality.

Jan learns of Michael's dismal finances by phone, and immediately harangues Michael about being irresponsible. He panics and attempts to hop a nearby train. However, the train is slowing down and comes to a complete halt, upon which he is seen sitting on the train singing to himself. Jan speeds to the office and Oscar tells her in which direction Michael ran. She then runs to the train yard. She tells him that she will stand by him as he did when she was fired. Eventually, they leave the train yard hand in hand.

Abraham Lincoln is relieved that Richmond has fallen and the U.S. Civil War is effectively over. He has contentious discussions with his Cabinet about the treatment of the defeated Confederacy. Many members want the Confederates punished, but Lincoln argues for mercy. The President is despised by many Confederates and receives numerous death threats. Lincoln has a rather fatalistic attitude about them but as a disturbing dream about hearing cries in the White House and seeing a coffin in the East Room surrounded by mourners crying out that an assassin has murdered the President. Booth is the most popular actor in the country (it is pointed out that only Lincoln has his picture taken more often).

Coming from an acting family, he feels overshadowed by his father and brother and longs to make his mark on history. A fanatical Confederate sympathizer, Booth sees Lincoln as a tyrant and slavery as a proper way of life and assembles a motley group of Confederates, including former Soldier Lewis Powell and simple-minded David Herold. They form a plot to kidnap the President, but the war ends. Booth is outraged when he hears Lincoln making a speech promising African-Americans citizenship and the vote. His changes his plot from kidnapping to murder.

Booth decides to assassinate Lincoln at Ford's Theatre, orders Powell to kill Secretary of State William Seward, and orders another henchman, George Adzerodt, to kill Vice President Andrew Johnson. Later that night at the play at Ford's Theater, Booth kills Lincoln and escapes after stabbing Major Henry Rathbone, a substitute guest, and landed awkwardly on the stage. Almost the same time that happens, Powell attacks Seward who survives and the Vice President is unharmed because Adzerodt couldn't have the courage to shoot him. Lincoln is attended by the doctors before being carried to the Petersen House, where he died the following morning at 7:22 A.M. surrounded by his friends and family for the remaining 8 hours. After an intense manhunt for 2 weeks, Boston Corbett shoots Booth inside a burning barn surrounded by federal troops. He dies on the front porch saying that he died for his country.

The credits reveal that Booth's henchmen and Mary Surratt were put on trial and hanged. Ironically, Lincoln's successor Johnson was much harsher on the defeated South than Lincoln would have been.

An antisocial alley cat complains about his hatred of people and how they complicate his life in the city. Because of human interference, he is unable to find easy food (a broom to the head stops his drinking freshly delivered milk) or deliver a proper serenade (which is ended by a thrown boot). He doesn't get along with children (who tie paper bags onto his feet), babies (one grabs him by the tail and flails him around a playpen), housewives (one hits him with a broomstick when he scratches their furniture), or dogs (one uses him as a punching bag, then plays dead after giving the cat a ketchup-covered axe as the owner arrives). He complains about not being let out of the house (to drink from a water cooler), or allowed to elope with female cats (he is about to kiss one, but instead a human fires a shotgun through his mouth and out his tail).

The cat continues to complain about people as he walks along a busy sidewalk, with people stepping on him. One person kicks him down the street as he declares that he wants to go to the moon, before he notices that he is at the front of the "Moonbeam Rocket Company" (a sign in the window says "Any place in space - 5 minutes"). He notices rockets to Mars, Venus, a miniature rocket to Palm Springs, and a "Moon Special," which he enters.

The cat pushes the ignition (below it on the wall is a sign reading "P.S. Hold on to your hats"), and takes off immediately. Buildings and stars duck out of the way and signs reading "NO VACANCY" appear on planets as he passes them. The rocket skywrites "Eat at Joe's" and punches a hole in the Big Dipper before the Little Dipper moves to catch the leakage. The rocket then bounces pinball-style from star to star (with points being displayed for each "bounce") until it registers "TILT" upon lunar impact.

After the crash, the cat revels in his newfound solitude, but the silence is quickly cut short as he meets his noisy new neighbors, in order:

A bicycle horn tooting itself A steam whistle blowing A disembodied mouth and hands repeatedly saying "Mammy, Mammy, Mammy" in the style of Al Jolson A self-playing accordion A yo-yo going up and down with the sound of a slide whistle A manual fire engine siren operating itself A tire repeatedly having blowouts by running over nails A claw hammer chasing a nail (the hammer pounds the cat into the ground before pulling him out) A tube of lipstick chasing a pair of giggling lips (the tube applies the lipstick to the cat's mouth; then the lips kiss the cat's mouth) A hand and scissors chasing a piece of paper (the scissors quickly cut the cat into a paper doll chain; two hands then stretch them out) An invisible dog chasing a fire hydrant A diaper, a safety pin, and a bottle of baby powder (which overtake and diaper the cat and shove a baby bottle in his mouth; when he has a temper tantrum his head is diapered as well) A flower running away from a shovel (when the plant passes the cat, the shovel digs a hole and plants him; after watering, the cat "sprouts" and quickly blossoms with a rose in one ear and a carnation in the other; a hand pulls him out of the ground and puts him in a vase) A pencil chased by a pencil sharpener (the sharpener turns the cat's tail into a pencil point; he writes "Chump!" on a nearby rock and draws an arrow indicating himself)

Realizing that his original home was much better in comparison to his new surroundings on the moon, the cat pulls down a backdrop of a golf course, places himself on a tee and sends himself back to Earth with one swing of a golf club. He returns to the same sidewalk he left in "the good ol' U.S.A." and expresses his newfound appreciation of his home and people, who continue to walk all over him.

Colonel Tony Nelson is incommunicado on a mission for NASA. Jeannie thus does not know his whereabouts or if he will return on time to attend an important occasion. A distinguished, academic presentation speech is scheduled to be made by their son, Tony Junior. Mister Simpson, one of TJ's favorite educators, looks forward to meeting Nelson.

Jeannie goes to NASA offices to enquire with a General Wescott about her husband's mission. He merely reminds her the information is classified Top Secret.

Jeannie and TJ conspire on a b&e to steal the mission file. They are beaten to the punch by a pair of snoopers named Eddie & Guzer. These two are after information with potential black market value which they expect to find in a file titled Xenon. They make off with the file prior to Jeannie and son's arrival.

Jeannie had suspected that the General would have a misleading filing system as a security measure. She explains this to TJ who helps her seek out the code key hidden in the office. Once found, it reveals that the Nelson mission summary is in the purloined Xenon file. They later relay this hurdle to longtime family friend, Colonel Roger Healy.

Meanwhile, to make matters worse, Jeannie's jealous and mischievous sister, Jeannie II, turns up to meddle. She reminds Sham-Ir (a genie in authority) of certain mandates. Jeannie may not remain on the plane of reality for more than three months without an Earthly Master, and Tony has been away for a long time. Sham-Ir rules that Jeannie has two weeks to find either her husband Tony or an eligible new Master. If she fails, she must return to Mesopotamia forever.

Despairing of finding Nelson, Jeannie begins her desperate search for the right substitute Master. She considers men she knows. All indications are that Mister Simpson's not a bachelor, though, and being one is prerequisite to being a Master. Likewise, all regret that Healy may not fill the position as he is not unwed.

Comedy ensues with Jeannie trying the usual avenues for a woman who's single and looking. At a singles' bar, she meets a promising candidate whom she finds handsome and kind. Jeannie II surveils and intervenes. She conjures a shrew of a counterfeit wife to come in, berate the man for infidelity, and call Jeannie a bimbo. He ardently protests that neither Jeannie nor this supposed wife are what she says they are. She punches him out and carries him unconscious from the bar, firefighter style.

The overarching endeavors to sort the Nelson situation from the criminal enterprise lead to TJ crossing paths with Guzer and Eddie again. Neither party yet realizes the other's connection. Undercover as garbagemen, the two goons bicker about offering TJ a ride, gifting him a pair of shoes in his size from their cargo, and one of them moronically blabbing that the stock of shoes is stolen contraband. They regretfully take TJ prisoner and call their shady employers about sending an executioner.

Under threat of forced repatriation for Jeannie and death to TJ, things begin to look hopeless for mother and son alike.

The story takes place in the mid 7th century, predominantly in Tang China and Goguryeo. Where Yhun Oh-Rhang is sent to find his eldest Hyung (brother), Pa Goon-Sung who disappeared after leaving for training in China years ago.

Sequel

''NOW'' is the direct continuation of Cheollang Yeoljeon. It follows the descendants of Sashinmu and the daughters of two protagonists from Cheollang Yeoljeon. Along with them is the Myung Wang Shin Gyo from India.

Mansour works at an Egg and Hen Company where he is gunning for a promotion to manager. When he finally gets it, he runs into some trouble and is replaced by the boss's nephew Farzad Paknejad, who also begins to rent an apartment from Shokouh. Farzad and Parastoo begin to develop feelings for each other and later marry. Parastoo is a third-year psychology major at the local university and likes to try out the things she learns in class on her family. Rana is a flight attendant, and Hamed is a singer who is waiting to be discovered. He sings in nearly every episode and eagerly awaits the day that his album will be available and he'll be famous. Nazir Shanbeh is a sycophantic caretaker, who is given the place in the family by Shokouh. He is known for his various comical accents, high pitched screams and crying when not all things go his way. Despite the crazy adventures the characters go through, at the end of the day they are all one happy family who love each other.

Young Happy Howard (Joe E. Brown) has been secretly practising the skills of a circus clown like his father was. His father, however, has put the circus behind him and discourages him from joining the circus. When the circus comes to town, Happy runs away with it, taking menial jobs while hoping for a chance to perform. Happy becomes infatuated with Alice (Patricia Ellis), a young aerialist, helping her take care of her nephew.

Alice arranges for a place in her aerial act for her alcoholic brother Frank who is recovering from the loss of his wife. On the day of the aerial act's first performance, Happy catches the brother drinking As he tries to stop him from drinking, the sister comes into the room and Happy pretends it is his liquor and drinks it all. Happy is discovered drunk by the circus owner and is fired. He is rejected by the girl and returns home to his father.

He reads in the newspaper that Alice is now a big star. He returns to the circus to try and win her back and explain. Happy arrives to find the brother is drinking and they fight. Happy knocks him out and has to take his place in the show. Happy is a big success to the delight of his father in the audience and is forgiven by Alice.

;Yeter's Death Retired widower Ali Aksu (Tuncel Kurtiz), a Turkish immigrant living in the German city of Bremen, believes he has found a solution to his loneliness when he meets Yeter Öztürk (Nursel Köse). He offers her a monthly payment to stop working as a prostitute and move in with him. After receiving threats from two Turkish Muslims for the work she does, she decides to accept his offer. Ali's son, Nejat Aksu (Baki Davrak), a professor of German literature, does not have time to respond to the prospect of living with a woman of "easy virtue" before Ali is stricken with a heart attack. He softens to her: he learns that she has told her 27-year-old daughter she is a shoe saleswoman, sending shoes to her in Turkey to support that story, and wishes her daughter could receive an education like his.

Back home from the hospital, Ali suspects Yeter and his son may have had a liaison. When his drunken demands of Yeter cause her to threaten to leave, he strikes her and she dies from the blow. Ali is sent to prison.

Nejat travels to Istanbul to search for Yeter's daughter, Ayten (Nurgül Yeşilçay), and assumes responsibility for her education. Unable to locate her through her family and not having any recent photos of her, he posts flyers with Yeter's photo throughout the area, in hope that it will lead to the daughter. When he posts a flyer in a small German language bookstore that happens to be for sale, he finds himself charmed into buying it.

;Lotte's Death A plainclothes officer loses his gun on the street during a riot. A hooded figure scoops it up and is pursued on foot by a battalion of uniformed officers, barely managing to hide the contraband on a random rooftop. This is Ayten, member of a Turkish anti-government resistance group.

When her cell is raided, she flees Turkey and takes up a new identity with political allies in Bremen, Germany. However, even there, she has a falling out when she is unable to pay them money she owes, and thus finds herself on the street with barely a euro to her name. Her mother's number is lost, so she lives illegally and searches for her in local shoe shops.

Lotte, a university student, offers to help her with food, clothes, and a place to stay—a gesture which is not particularly welcomed by her mother, Susanne. Ayten and Lotte become lovers and Lotte decides to help Ayten search for her mother. The quest is cut short when a traffic stop exposes Ayten's illegal status and she attempts a claim of political asylum. Despite Susanne's financial support, Germany rules that Ayten has no legitimate fear of political persecution. She is deported and immediately imprisoned.

Lotte is devastated. She travels to Turkey to try to free Ayten, but quickly realizes how little hope there is, as she is facing 15 to 20 years in jail. Susanne pleads with her to think of her future and return home. When Lotte refuses, her mother denies her any further assistance. Lotte gravitates to Nejat's bookstore and ends up renting a spare room from him.

Finally granted a prison visit with Ayten, Lotte complies with her imprisoned lover's request and retrieves the handgun Ayten grabbed in the riot. But Lotte's bag, with the gun inside, is snatched by a crew of boys that she then chases through their neighborhood. When finally she finds them in a vacant lot, one of them is inspecting the gun. She demands he return it, but he points it at her and fires, killing her instantly.

;The Edge of Heaven (literally, On the Other Side) Upon his release, Ali is deported to Turkey, returning to his property in Trabzon on the Black Sea coast.

After her daughter's death, Susanne goes to Istanbul to see where her daughter had been living the past few months. She meets Nejat and reads her daughter's diary; she decides to take on her daughter's mission of freeing Ayten from prison. Susanne's visit to Ayten—an offer of forgiveness and support—leads the younger woman to exercise her right of repentance. As a result, she wins her freedom.

Susanne asks Nejat about the story behind a Bayram festival they hear about, learning that it commemorates Ibrahim's sacrifice of his son Ishmael. She comments that there is the same story in the Bible, where Abraham is asked to sacrifice his son Isaac. Nejat reminisces about being scared by the story as a child and asking his father if he would sacrifice him if God told him to. When asked by Susanne what his father's answer was, Nejat tells her that his father said "He would make God his enemy in order to protect me."

Nejat removes the flyer of Yeter from the shop's noticeboard. He asks Susanne to look after his shop while he is gone, and drives to Trabzon, where his father is living.

Susanne offers Ayten a place to stay with her at Nejat's house. When Nejat arrives in Trabzon, his father is out fishing, so he waits for him on the beach.

A wealthy couple leave their young child with a nanny while they attend a social event. While under the care of the nanny, the child wanders off into the yard and strolls down to the beach with her doll and gets into a boat. The boat drifts away out to sea and the girl is rescued by nearby fishermen who take her to their humble shack. Meanwhile, the nanny who was reading a book realizes the child’s disappearance and alerts the parents. When the parents arrive they find only the child’s bonnet and the doll’s stroller near the beach and assume the child had drowned.

In ''Saints of Big Harbour'', Coady portrays a small community of Cape Breton Island, found off the coast of Nova Scotia. The book focuses on the perspectives of the main character, Guy Boucher, a fatherless Acadian teenager, and of those who surround him: his alcoholic uncle Isadore, a quietly wise girl named Pam, his draft-dodger English teacher and a group of boys stuck in emotional adolescence. As the story unfolds it becomes clear that Guy lives in a community firmly characterized by clichés of gender, beauty, strength, family and love.

Category:2002 Canadian novels Category:Novels set in Nova Scotia Category:Cape Breton Island

Broken by grief after his mother's death, Olaf becomes a wanderer. He is treated cruelly until he is given a meal by a woman at the homestead where she lives with her husband and baby. Olaf is able to return her kindness when he overhears a plot to rob the settlers of their home. He alerts the couple and delays the would-be thieves long enough for the husband to file a claim on his land. Olaf is injured by the claim jumpers but he recovers, alone and forgotten by those he has helped. He then moves aimlessly along.

The movie was released with the logline: "Success Is often coveted instead of honestly earned. Through honest effort the farmer was enjoying the fruits of his labor, A. large irrigation well was among his new acquisitions. Therein his designing helpers held him prisoner while they left with his wealth and his daughter. There is an old saying, however, that an evil purpose always defeats its own end by some committing act."

Allgood Butts is a young promiscuous male hairdresser whose goal in life is to sleep with as many women as possible (already in the first scenes we are told he has slept with 389 women). His guardian angel (played by Diane Flacks) does not approve of his philandering and confronts him while he has sex with his 390th woman, telling him that if he sleeps with another woman, he'll die. Allgood's struggle with his temptation becomes even more difficult when two attractive women enter his life.

The old sea-captain retires, but the next day German World War II occupation of Norway begins. He then kisses his wife good-bye and is off to Regiment HQ. There he finds a lack of leadership and morale that offends him. They even laugh at him and his out-dated uniform and discontinued second lieutenant officer-rank, that he had earned years before. He is sent with a few men to blow up a bridge. The young men laugh at him and generally ignore his advice. When the bridge fails to collapse, he does the job himself. He returns to HQ to find that its officers have voted to surrender. He leaves the HQ with a few men, taking trucks and supplies to continue the fight, often at odds with the remainder of army leadership. He rebuilds a small fighting unit with volunteers and draftees and he achieves some battlefield success. Eventually his men abandon him, and he faces a German attack alone.

The elderly Martin believes he hears the voice of Anna, the love of his youth, who died during childbirth fifty years before. Guided by her voice, Martin escapes from his nursery home and begins a journey that echoes a chain of fatal events from his past, which increasingly merge with the present.

José, a middle age magician, is an elegant discreet homosexual who lives alone and has an occasional affair with Miguel, a young politician who finds it more convenient in Madrid's high society to marry than assert his homosexuality. José is a man romantically possessed and obsessed by his childhood in Granada during the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in the spring of 1936.

Now in his fifties, José returns to Granada and relives his childhood there. A time when he fell in love with García Lorca and had a youthful affair with one of Lorca's own lovers. Memories come flooding back to the mature José, of youthful sexual conquest, of Lorca's murder at the hands of Franco's agents, and his own early homosexual affairs. José's entire life is colored by his obsessions with García Lorca, his unknown God, to whom the film is dedicated.

José travels twice to Granada. First, he revisits a woman who is also obsessed with García Lorca's memory, and steals a photograph of the boy with whom he had his first sexual encounter; later, José returns to Madrid, to a party in search of his youth, and meets a pianist with whom he had sexual relations many years before but now does not remember.

When José returns to Madrid, he is a man tormented by his past, and in search of peace. Listening to a taped recording of García Lorca's famous "Ode to Walt Whitman", he desires nothing more than to face the rest of his life in loneliness, although his recent lover, Miguel has returned to his bed and wants to continue their affair. José realizes that he is really all alone in their world, alone with his God.

A love story during the Second World War in Scandinavia. Ann Mari, a Norwegian, works as a nurse in the Winter War of 1939/40 between Finland and the Soviet Union. She falls in love with the Finnish soldier Markus. The war stops temporarily, and they settle down in northern Norway. Norway gets occupied by Germany and Markus leaves Ann Mari, as Finland goes to war again to win back the lost territory. A short time later Markus seems to be dead and Ann Mari falls in love with the German soldier Maximilian. But Markus soon returns alive. After a struggle for Ann Mari the three take refuge from the Germans to Sweden, but Sweden deports foreign deserters.

Dr. Gray Thomison is the resident doctor in charge of a hospital in Chen-li, China. Dr. Sara Durand is an American in charge of the women's ward and is secretly in love with Dr. Thomison. They are committed to helping their patients, and they admire the Chinese people and their culture.

During an air raid. Dr. Durand and Siu-mei, a young Chinese intern, evacuate patients and babies from the women's hospital. Sara is in charge of the hospital while Gray is away fund-raising in America. Dr. Durand stays in the women's ward with the terminal patients and those who cannot be moved, while Dr. Chung, a young Chinese doctor just out of American medical school, tends patients in the men's ward.

Dr. Thomison brings his new wife, Louise, to Chen-li. She does not enjoy living in China and considers herself superior to the native Chinese, preferring the company of English-speaking men from nearby Treaty Port, including Harry Delafield, an English businessman.

Chen-ta, the leader of the local guerrillas, brings Yasuda, an injured Japanese prisoner, to the hospital and asks Dr. Durand to operate on him. Dr. Chung assists and gives blood for Yasuda. Dr. Chung believes the Japanese will win the war, so he makes friends with Yasuda and enlists his younger brother, Chung Third, to join Chen-ta's guerrillas to gather information for the Japanese. Chung convinces Louise to assist him, which leads to her loyalty being questioned by others in the hospital. Through her intervention, the Japanese stop bombing the hospital. The citizens of Chen-li stop coming to the hospital because it is not suffering the same fate as the rest of the town.

Chung impregnates one of the nurses, Ya-ching, but ends his relationship with her to pursue Siu-mei, who comes from a wealthy family. Chung gives Yasuda a poison to make him appear sick and unable to be released back to Chen-ta. Ya-ching makes harmless substitute pills and gives them to Yasuda one night, then tells Siu-mei that Chung was poisoning Yasuda and using Chung Third to gather information about the guerrillas. Ya-ching drowns while returning to her own village.

Chen-ta begins to suspect Chung Third of spying, and he also lets Siu-mei's father know that he is interested in his daughter. Siu-mei and her father travel to tell Chen-ta about Dr. Chung's treachery. Chen-ta has Chung Third killed, then he goes to the hospital to collect his prisoner. Yasuda tells Dr. Thomison that Dr. Chung and Louise are passing information to the enemy. Yasuda promises Thomison Japanese support in exchange for safety. Yasuda kills Dr. Chung and throws the body out a window to make it look like suicide. Louise discovers Chung's body. Thomison sends Louise back to America and the Japanese resume bombing the hospital.

Atalia (Michal Bat-Adam) is a 40-year-old widow who lost her husband in the Six-Day War and lives on a kibbutz with her adolescent daughter (Gail Ben-Ner). Lonely and feeling outcast, she enters into a forbidden affair with her daughter's classmate, Matti (Yiptach Katzur), an idealistic 19-year-old who had been rejected by the army. Atalia is independent-minded and non-conformist, so when her affair becomes known, the kibbutz leaders have the excuse they need to ostracize her. The slow degeneration of the once-idealistic kibbutz into a puritanical society, the strait-jacket of its conservative view of masculinity, and the conformity of her daughter all provide a backdrop to Atalia's problems.

Salley (Mae Marsh) and her little sister are sent to visit their three uncles in the west. Among other baggage, they bring their two puppies. Melissa (Lillian Gish) is in the same stagecoach with husband and newborn baby. The uncles find the little girls amusing but tell them that the dogs must stay outside. Meanwhile, a nearby tribe of evil looking Indians is having a tribal dance. The puppies, left outside in a basket, run off. Sally, worried about the dogs, goes outside and discovers they are gone. She follows their trail and runs into two hungry Indians who have captured them for food. There is a scuffle but her uncles arrive and intervene. Gunfire ensues and one of the Indians is left dead. The other Indian returns to the tribe to inform them and aroused by "savage hatred" they go into a war dance.

Meanwhile, a tearful Sally has persuaded a friendly hand to build a secret door in the cabin so she can bring the puppies inside at night. The Indians attack the village and the frightened settlers run off toward the lonely cabin. In the melee, the baby is captured by the Indians. The Indians attack the cabin just after a scout rides off to alert the fort.

The Indians ride in circles around the cabin while the settlers try to fight them off. Melissa, in the cabin, is distraught worrying about the fate of her baby. Sally, more worried about her puppies, sneaks out her secret door and finds not only them but the baby in the arms of a dead Indian. In a hectic battle scene, she brings the baby back through the secret door.

The settlers are running out of ammunition and the cabin is burning. The Indians, crawling on their stomachs, are almost in the cabin, but then the cavalry arrives. The Indians are quickly dispatched and all is well but for Melissa's grief over her missing baby. Sally pops out of a chest holding baby and puppies. The uncle agrees to let Sally keep the puppies inside.

Dr. Derek Shepherd (Patrick Dempsey) and Dr. Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.) finish Dr. Preston Burke's (Isaiah Washington) surgery to remove a pseudo-aneurysm in the subclavian artery that threatened the functioning of his arm and which was caused by a gunshot wound. At the same time, Dr. Erica Hahn (Brooke Smith) successfully transplants a heart into Denny Duquette (Jeffrey Dean Morgan). The interns face Webber, who orders them to plan a prom for his dying niece, Camille Travis (Tessa Thompson), until the one who cut Duquette's left ventricular assist device (LVAD) comes forward. With the instructions of Camille's friends, Claire (Hallee Hirsh) and Natalie (Tiffany Hines), they prepare the prom as they each struggle with their own personal problems. Trying to recover from his injury, Burke finds a tremor in his right hand.

Dr. Meredith Grey's (Ellen Pompeo) love interest Dr. Finn Dandrige (Chris O'Donnell), the vet of Doc—the dog she shares with Shepherd—informs her that Doc has had several seizures due to his bone cancer and that she and Shepherd have to make a decision. Webber interrogates the interns individually about Duquette's LVAD wire, but only learns about their personal problems instead. Dr. Izzie Stevens (Katherine Heigl) finally accepts Duquette's marriage proposal. At Dandridge's office, Grey and Shepherd, joined by Dr. Addison Montgomery-Shepherd (Kate Walsh), decide to put Doc to sleep.

The hospital staff begins to arrive at the prom and Dr. Callie Torres (Sara Ramirez) and Dr. George O'Malley (T. R. Knight) discuss the status of their relationship, which leads to the former admitting her love and commitment. During the dance, Grey and Shepherd escape Dandridge and Montgomery to have a heated argument that leads to sexual intercourse. In the meantime, as Duquette waits for Stevens alone in his room, he experiences a sudden sense of pain, and unexpectedly dies. While Webber is sitting in the operating room gallery and reflecting on his career, Dr. Miranda Bailey (Chandra Wilson) announces Duquette's death.

News of the death spreads, and the interns hurry to his room to find a shocked Stevens, lying on the bed, clinging to his still form. As they each try to comfort her, the cause of his death is revealed to have been a blood-clot that led to a fatal stroke. Stevens says that if she had taken less time to dress, she would have arrived at his room sooner and could have been with him while he died. Dr. Alex Karev (Justin Chambers) then talks to Stevens, picking her up and hugging her as she cries. Afterward, Dr. Cristina Yang (Sandra Oh), who did not know how to handle Burke's situation, goes to his room and puts her hand on his to show him her support. As the episode ends, Stevens confesses to Webber that she was the one responsible for the LVAD wire cut, and claiming she cannot be a surgeon, quits the program. After everyone begins going their separate ways, Grey remains torn on who she should follow: Shepherd or Dandridge.

The episode opens to a voice-over narrative from Richard Webber (James Pickens, Jr.).

Addison gets to the ER with Joe (Steven W. Bailey) and Walter's (Jack J. Yang) surrogate from the bar, the previous episode. Burke starts treating her and decides that the twins must be born. Derek (Patrick Dempsey), Mark (Eric Dane) and Bailey (Chandra Wilson) start treating the newly-found fourth climber. The other climbers eventually talk to the police. Cristina (Sandra Oh) attempts to write her vows. Callie (Sara Ramirez) writes them on Cristina's hand. At work, Cristina discovers that the wedding has given her the day off. Jeff Pope (Jason London) arrives and hugs Rebecca (Elizabeth Reaser). Alex (Justin Chambers) asks Jeff why he didn't search for his wife before. Rebecca wants Alex, but he tells her to stay with her 'decent guy'.

Derek tells Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) that he met a girl in the bar. Meredith seems confused. Meanwhile, Adele (Loretta Devine) has a miscarriage, revealing that Richard was the father. Mama Burke (Diahann Carroll) forces Cristina to remove her eyebrows; she panics and convinces Bailey to let her scrub in. Bailey agrees, having found out that Callie is the new chief resident. Derek removes the axe from the fourth climber while Burke treats the new babies. Callie and George (T. R. Knight) agree to have children, but Izzie (Katherine Heigl) tells George she's in love with him. The interns receive their test results. George hides the fact that he didn't pass. Derek feels Meredith is taking him for granted. She evades responding and goes to the chapel.

Mark, Addison and Burke are rejected as Chief of Surgery candidates. At the chapel, Burke finds out Derek is not the new Chief, though Derek doesn't explain. Addison tells Alex to fight for Rebecca. Outside SGH, Bailey and George talk. She thinks that she failed him, but he says: "I failed you". Alex decides to go after Rebecca. Callie tells Izzie she and George are planning to have a baby; Izzie is stunned. Cristina realizes that she washed her vows off when she scrubbed in, and freaks out. Meredith convinces her to go on. Burke sees the delay and calls off the wedding, feeling he has forced her to change. He walks away. Meredith tells everybody that it is over. She looks at Derek and leaves the chapel.

Cristina arrives at Burke's apartment to discover that he has gone. Cristina starts shaking uncontrollably and crying. To calm her down, Meredith hugs her and cuts her out of her wedding dress. George runs into the new interns, and meets Lexie Grey, Meredith's paternal half-sister. Richard tells Derek he is the new Chief, but Derek suggests that he start over. We see Richard looking over the hospital.

In 1933, during the Great Depression, 11-year-old orphan Annie Bennett was left on her own at the Hudson Street Home For Girls when she was an infant. The only two things that she received from her family was half a heart-shaped locket with a key hole, and a note from her parents saying that they would come back for her. The orphanage is run by the tyrannical Miss Hannigan, who starves the orphans, and forces them to do slave labor. In the middle of the night, after getting tired of waiting for her parents, Annie tries to escape to find them, but is caught by Miss Hannigan in the process. When Miss Hannigan gets distracted, Annie hides in the dirty laundry bin and she finally succeeds in running away.

While out on her own, Annie befriends a dog, whom she names Sandy. But police officer Lt. Ward catches her and returns her back to the orphanage. When billionaire Oliver "Daddy" Warbucks decides to take in an orphan for Christmas, his secretary Grace Farrell chooses Annie. Annie and Sandy are brought to his wealthy estate and bathe in a grand life.

Although at first uncomfortable with Annie, Daddy Warbucks is soon charmed by her. He desperately wants to adopt Annie, but Annie still wants to find her real parents, so he announces on the radio a $50,000 reward for anybody who can prove they are her biological parents. The orphans accidentally tell Miss Hannigan, and her younger con artist brother Rooster, and his dimwitted girlfriend Lily St. Regis cook up a scheme to get the reward by posing as Ralph and Shirley Mudge (Annie's "so called" parents).

Lily is left with the orphans after Miss Hannigan and Rooster leave, but Lily accidentally tells the secret. The orphans make her tell them what is going on, and she realizes that Rooster could leave her hanging as he has done before in the past. She and the orphans come to Warbucks' mansion where Lily demands her part in the cut while the orphans reveal the scheme. While fleeing from the orphans, Miss Hannigan and Rooster are intercepted upon the arrival of President Franklin D. Roosevelt along with his Secret Service. President Roosevelt reads the papers that identifies Miss Hannigan, Rooster, and Lily leading to Rooster and Lily getting arrested by the Secret Service. This enrages Miss Hannigan, who rants about all she did and the thanks she got for it. She is then carted off to a psychiatric hospital as she foresaw what would happen to her.

President Roosevelt then presents the evidence to Annie that her real parents are actually David and Margaret Bennett, but sadly they both had died several years earlier which explains why they never returned for her. Although Annie is saddened that her real parents are dead, she is cheered up when Daddy Warbucks officially adopts her. President Roosevelt ensures a happy ending for all as he promises that each of the orphans will be adopted by a stable and happy family. Daddy Warbucks and Grace become engaged, and Annie lives happily with her new parents and Sandy.

''Asfaltevangeliet'' shows the scenario of Jesus Christ coming to Oslo, Norway in present day. Jesus preached a radical message of love, forgiveness and the Kingdom of God. He is disputed by the authorities and the religious elite, but gets a following among sinners, prostitutes and drug addicts. Jesus also says that he has to die for the sins of mankind, and in the film's climax he is killed by a mob in Oslo's main street.

Seventh-grade Rikke is one of the most popular girls in her class, but one day arrives a new girl, Bea, who begins to take her place in the classroom. As the newcomer makes herself at home, an unhealthy competition develops between the two. A relationship that the two have to settle before they can be friends, and explore the future joys and sorrows of youth together.

Ian Stone is an average man. He loves ice hockey but lives for his girlfriend, Jenny Walker. Late one night while driving home from a painful loss on the ice, Ian thinks he sees a dead body near the railroad tracks. Investigating the grisly discovery, Ian is attacked by the "corpse", forced onto the tracks and run over by a train.

He wakes up in an office cubicle. He is older and living with a beautiful woman named Medea. Jenny is not his girlfriend, just a co-worker, and one of a number of apparently familiar faces.

Ian meets a strange old man who tells him he is in danger. The old man tells him that he is being hunted by the Harvesters, a group of mind-controlling characters who cannot be killed and feed off human fear. He explains that every day, at different times and different places, the clocks stop and they come after him to kill him. The only problem is that Ian won't stay dead. He wakes in a new life, a new place, only for the cycle to repeat itself. Suddenly one of the Harvesters attacks the old man and Ian runs. They chase Ian back to his apartment where Medea, who is clearly one of them, is waiting. Once again, Ian is killed.

He wakes to find he is a junkie in a rundown apartment, with Jenny living a few doors down. He implores her to remember him, desperately reaching out and searching for someone to help him make sense of what's going on. When the Harvesters come again Jenny and Ian have no choice but to run. As they seek refuge on a subway train heading out of town, Jenny confesses to her memories of Ian's former lives. Later on, the old man meets Ian in the train again while Jenny sleeps. It is then that the old man reveals that he is one of the Harvesters, and hints at Ian's involvement with them.

When they disembark they are again confronted by a group of Harvesters, each a mass of pulsating veins, pitch-black muscles and flesh. Some of the barely human faces are recognizable from Ian's previous lives, including Medea who reveals a shocking truth: Ian was one of these monsters until he rebelled against the colony and managed to kill one other Harvester, and Medea used to be his "mate". Medea tries to force Ian to feed again and return to the "fold", but Ian resists.

Medea and the Harvesters attack once more, and she explains that his rebellion came after his first encounter with Jenny. So moved was he by the girl that he wished to live a mortal life with her. Before Medea can harm Jenny, however, a final change comes over Ian with the help of Gray, the old Harvester who had helped him before. Apparently Ian found a sustenance that was far superior to fear or pain, and so did the old man: love. Making this connection to a human being changes the specific nature of a Harvester, which allowed the old man (and now Ian) to kill the members of their kind. Gray had urged Ian to protect Jenny out of experience; having lost his love to the Harvesters, he could only feed on fear again and he spent what remained of his life slowly starving himself and trying to find love again. Gray implores Ian to feed from him and tap into those emotions of affection and kinship; Gray dies while restoring Ian. Ian regains his true power: his Harvester-self is finally born out of his human flesh, uniquely exuding goodness rather than malevolence. He now has the capacity to turn the tables on these creatures and to feed on their fear and to give life. He then rescues Jenny, who is being stalked by the clan.

Ian creates a new life for himself and Jenny, in which he is a successful professional hockey player with her at his side. Jenny has no recollection of their harrowing adventure; but Ian, having realized his abilities, will begin to take the fight to the Harvesters.

Shy teenager Nick Twisp lives with his mother, Estelle, and her boyfriend, Jerry, in Oakland, California. After selling a faulty car to a group of sailors, Jerry takes Estelle and Nick to a trailer park in Clearlake where Nick meets Sheeni Saunders, a young woman his age, interested in French culture and sharing Nick's musical taste. Despite her boyfriend, Trent Preston, they become romantically involved. Nick gets a dog for her named Albert (after Albert Camus), but Albert rips up the family's property and Sheeni's parents ban it from the house.

Before Nick returns to Oakland, Sheeni promises to arrange a job in Ukiah for Nick's father, George, while Nick agrees to get his mother to kick him out so he can return to Sheeni. In Oakland, Nick creates an alter-ego named François Dillinger, a suave, rebellious troublemaker. Immediately after, Jerry dies of a heart attack.

Under François' influence, Nick mouths off to his mom and her new boyfriend, police officer Lance Wescott. Nick takes Jerry's Lincoln, and crashes into a restaurant, starting a fire. Lance agrees to lie and report the car stolen in return for living with his father. In Ukiah, Nick phones Sheeni and tells her he blew up "half of Berkeley" to return. Her mother overhears this and ships her to a French boarding school in Santa Cruz, forbidding Nick ever to see her again.

Nick befriends Vijay Joshi, and they take Vijay's grandmother's car to visit Sheeni. They sneak into Sheeni's room, Nick meets Bernice in the bathroom, and he claims Trent said terrible things about her. Later, Bernice brings the matron to the room and the boys flee. On the way home, the car dies and Nick calls Mr. Ferguson, his father's idealist neighbor, to pick them up; telling Ferguson that Vijay is an illegal immigrant whom Nick is trying to "free from persecution".

When he returns home, Nick meets Sheeni's older brother, Paul, who tells him that she will be returning home at Thanksgiving and invites him. Nick sends Bernice letters asking her to slip sedatives into Sheeni's drinks to make her sleep in class, getting Sheeni expelled. Nick finds Lacey, George's 25-year-old girlfriend, Paul, and Ferguson, in his living room, high on mushrooms, and Nick joins them. When George finds them he punches Ferguson, and Paul punches George. Lacey leaves the house to live with Paul. On Thanksgiving Day, Nick receives a call from his mother explaining Lance left and will not cover for him anymore. Then, at Sheeni's, Trent unexpectedly arrives and tells them about Nick's letters to Bernice; Sheeni is horrified and Nick leaves.

Nick steals his father's car to escape the police, then removes his clothes and drives the car into a shallow lake in front of the police station. He gets a wig and dress to impersonate one of Sheeni's "friends". He fools Mr. and Mrs. Saunders, going up to Sheeni's room. Upstairs, Nick tells Sheeni that he understands what loneliness is like, and that everything he has done (burning down Berkeley, destroying his parents' cars and having her sedated) was all so that they wouldn't have to be alone anymore. Sheeni forgives Nick, and they have sex, finally achieving Nick's dream of losing his virginity. Trent barges in, telling them he's brought the police. Nick and Trent fight until the police comes to arrest Nick. Nick asks Sheeni to wait for him; she reassures him that he will only be in juvenile detention for three months.

The animated closing credits show Nick in jail with François helping him. When Nick is released, Sheeni shows up in a car and they drive away into the sky towards the Paris skyline, as various characters appear to make amends and give them their blessing.

One year after the events of the original game, the world continues to embrace and explore the cube worlds that resulted from the opening of the planet's core. One day King Jibral and Zola encounter a mysterious evil three-headed dragon shadow called Balaur emerging from one of the cubes. Zola has a bad feeling about it and after informing Shu and the party, they find themselves on another adventure to discover this new threat.

During the 1920s, itinerant American beachcomber Mr. Morgan (Gary Cooper) is deposited in the village of Matareva on the island of Upolu, Samoa in the South Pacific. When he decides to stay he is confronted by Pastor Cobbett (Barry Jones), who lost both his father and his wife as a young missionary on the island. Cobbett rules Matareva as a Puritanical despot, using local bullies as "wardens" to enforce his rules. "Morgan ''Tane''" stays on Matareva by winning the support of the natives after he defeats the wardens with the aid of an empty shotgun. Morgan has an illegitimate child, Turia (Moira Walker), by island girl Maeva (Roberta Haynes). After Maeva's death in childbirth, the distraught Morgan departs the island, leaving Turia behind with her grandmother.

Morgan returns to Matareva during World War II, where he reconciles with Cobbett, who has become a friend and teacher to the islanders, and meets Turia. She falls in love with an Army Air Force pilot, Harry Faber, after he crash-lands his cargo plane in the lagoon. An interesting irony is that when Morgan first arrived, Cobbett tried to force him to leave the island lest he get an island girl pregnant. Now he faces the same thing when Faber tries to seduce his daughter, Turia, as a diversion while awaiting pickup by the Navy. Morgan intervenes and makes Faber and his crew leave, using the same empty shotgun as an inducement. When Turia forgives him, Morgan decides to remain with her on Matareva.

In October 1941, war correspondents and brothers "Jonny" (Clark Gable) and Kirk Davis (Robert Sterling) return to the still-neutral United States after being kicked out of Germany. Jonny's boss, isolationist ''New York Daily Chronicle'' publisher George L. Stafford (Charles Dingle), refuses to print his story about Japan and Germany's plans for the world, but Jonny tricks him into doing so, and gets fired for his trouble.

When Jonny goes to reclaim his old room from friends and landlords "Evie" (Lee Patrick) and Willie Manning (Reginald Owen), he is annoyed (despite having been away for years) to find they have rented it out to Paula Lane (Lana Turner), an aspiring reporter who wants to work as a foreign correspondent. Ladies man Jonny is very interested in the beautiful blonde, but then finds that his brother already has a relationship with her. A romantic triangle ensues. Despite being in love with her himself, Jonny tries to arrange it so that Paula chooses Kirk.

Eventually, they are all reunited in Manila ... on Sunday, December 7, the day of the attack on Pearl Harbor, which brings America into the war. Jonny insists that the other two leave on a ship for Australia, while he remains behind to report for the ''Chronicle'', but they sneak back on the pilot boat after he sees them off. Kirk enlists, while Paula joins the Red Cross.

When the Japanese invade the Philippines, Jonny encounters his brother by chance; Kirk is part of a detachment under the command of Lieutenant Wade Hall (Van Johnson) that is assigned to repel a Japanese amphibious landing. Kirk and most of the other defenders die in the fierce fighting. Jonny believes that Paula was also killed, when the hospital where she was working was wiped out, but it turns out she was out escorting a party of wounded there. When they find each other, Jonny sets her at a typewriter and starts dictating the rest of his newspaper story.

Elmo Bunn is an L.A. pizza delivery man with a reputation for never having delivered a cold pizza or being stiffed on a bill. When a call comes into his shop for an extra-large with sausage and anchovies to go to a dangerous part of East Hollywood, Elmo knows he's in for trouble.

In September 1950, Elizabeth MacLeod is living in her childhood farm home in Raleigh, Vermont, with her 17-year-old son Rennie. The mailman arrives three mornings each week, and each time Elizabeth hopes for a letter from her husband Gerald in China, where she lived with him until Rennie was twelve. They lived in Peking until the war with Japan, then escaped to Chungking. She and her husband are very much in love, but Gerald, a Eurasian, sent her and Rennie to America because the communist uprising in China made it dangerous for white people. He is half Chinese and chose to stay in his own country.

Gerald rarely writes because communication with westerners is banned by the Communists. Letters must be smuggled out. Today her husband writes, "Whatever I do now, remember that it is you I love." The letter continues. She locks the letter in her desk. This is the first letter from Gerald in three months. It is mailed from Hong Kong. It is the last letter from him.

Elizabeth takes care of her son and the farm. Her parents are long dead. Matt Greene helps take care of the farm. Elizabeth is aware of an American prejudice against the Chinese, and her son is one-quarter Chinese. She misses her husband very much. Over the winter she remembers their days together and the Chinese man that she loves. In the spring, after the sugaring is done, Elizabeth and Rennie go to Little Spring, Kansas, to bring Rennie's grandfather MacLeod, Baba, to live with them in Vermont. He left Peking when the Japanese invaded China. He lives in a herder's shack on Sam Blaine's farm. He wears Chinese gowns rather than western suits, reads a few old Chinese books, and he has become forgetful. Rennie is embarrassed by how Chinese his grandfather is. Baba dons western clothes for the train ride to Vermont. The local doctor, Bruce Spauldin, believes he has had strokes. Elizabeth remembers he was witty and bright when she and Gerald lived with him in Peking. "He is sweet and gentle and easy to live with, and he does not complain."

Elizabeth asks Baba about Gerald's mother, Ai-lan. Elizabeth never knew her. They were married when Baba was advisor to the Emperor. Baba liked his wife Ai-lan, the sister of his friend Han Yu-Ren - but he did not love her. After Gerald was born, Ai-lan became interested in Sun Yat-sen's ideas for revolution. Baba supported the Emperor. Ai-lan believed the races could never mingle. She moved south, became a violent revolutionist, and was killed in 1930 by the secret police of the Nationalist government. Gerald saw her infrequently but longed for her. His father would not let Ai-lan "contaminate" Gerald. The next day, the postman brought a magazine mailed from a post office box in Peking. There was a picture of Gerald's mother on the cover. The magazine was dedicated to a martyr of the revolution. In this way Elizabeth learns that Gerald knew all about his mother, though he never spoke of her.

That summer Rennie falls in love. He and Elizabeth talk about Rennie's Chinese relatives. Rennie wants to be all American and forget his Chinese relatives, including his father. He's worried that being part Chinese will keep a girl from liking him. Elizabeth meets Allegra, Rennie's girlfriend, and does not think her a good match for her son. Allegra's parents leave with her when Elizabeth tells them Rennie is quarter-Chinese. Her husband and Rennie were registered with the American embassy when they were born, so they are legally Americans. But she knows they must know and they would not approve Gerald and Rennie's Chinese ancestry. Rennie is hurt and angry. She wants her son to find a love as deep as she shares with his father. Rennie leaves home to find Allegra and talk to her.

Baba becomes weaker and more childish that summer. He has strokes. Bruce Spauldin comes to check him. Elizabeth notices that the unmarried Bruce "is even-tempered, inclined to silence and meditation, all good qualities in a husband." Elizabeth realizes that she is alone and lonely, closed off from Peking, though her husband is not dead. She begins to pray. Baba has more strokes and loses all care. Rennie returns and asks, "Mother, why did you let me be born?", angered by his Chinese heritage. He goes to Sam Blaine's ranch for the rest of the summer. Before he goes, Elizabeth tells him about Gerald's mother, his grandmother, Ai-lan.

Gerald's last letter to Elizabeth included a request that Elizabeth ignored.Buck, ''Letter from Peking'', p.163 Now Elizabeth receives a letter from Mei-lan, sent through a silk shop in Singapore. Mei-lan requested that Gerald write the previous letter to Elizabeth. Mei-lan wishes to care for her husband in Elizabeth's absence and requests the support of her "older sister." At this point in the story, Gerald's full last-letter to Elizabeth is printed in the book. He requested her support for his decision to stay in China and protect his wife and child by sending them to America. She sends a letter expressing her love for him and her full support of Mei-lan and their husband, Gerald.

Baba becomes weaker, but he remembers that he did not marry Gerald's mother to get a son; he did not want a son. Elizabeth understands how loveless Gerald's childhood was. Elizabeth pulls out Gerald's letters and reads them again. At first he believes in the new government, then his letters become listless. Elizabeth realizes that Gerald is a prisoner. Baba has another stroke. Bruce treats him, then proposes to Elizabeth. She says she is married. Bruce waits.

Mei-lan writes that Gerald is sad and she wants to be friends with Elizabeth. The letter was mailed in Hong Kong, for safety. Elizabeth appreciates the letter from her "younger sister" but knows that her neighbors would not understand her love for Gerald living with Mei-lan in China. Rennie writes that he is studying physics at a mid-western college and paying his way. His roommate, George Bowen, has a very intelligent and good-looking sister. Rennie promises to come home for Christmas. Mei-lan sends letters to Ellizabeth through friends in Manila and Bangkok. She tells her how Gerald is doing.

Sam Blaine comes with Rennie at Christmas. Baba does not remember Sam or Rennie very well, but the Christmas gathering is happy. Rennie has grown to become a man. Elizabeth asks about George Bowen's sister. They argue about Gerald's choice to stay in China and Baba's choice to marry a Chinese woman. Elizabeth explains that love is what matters. Sam Blaine proposes to Elizabeth. Baba dies soon after. Elizabeth sees a vision of Gerald dying, then learns from Mei-lan that Gerald died and Mei-lan has a son.

Rennie marries George Bowen's twin sister Mary, with Elizabeth's blessing. George and Mary are orphans and love Rennie. Bruce and Elizabeth consider marrying. Elizabeth considers Baba's loveless life a poor example for living, something she will not endorse.

The play is divided into two acts that are further broken up into seven scenes and it opens up on an integrated corner in the south of New York. There are three converging streets that form at the edge of a triangular building. Though integrated, the people separate themselves by race, black on one end, white on the other except for the kids that are playing marbles between one another in the center. Scene One begins with an introduction to the main and supporting characters: Jim, Ella, Mickey, Joe and Shorty. Jim and Ella are singled out as liking each other and they bond over being called "Painty Face" and "Crow".

In Scene Two, it is nine years later and takes place on the same corner with a showcases the technological advances—horse and buggy for automobiles. The relationship between Jim and Ella has changed. Jim is pining for Ella's recognition and Shorty and Joe questions his blackness because of his desire to graduate and pass the bar exam. It seems as if he has fallen prey to Shorty's degradation of his ability and potential. It is also revealed that Ella is in a relationship with Mickey.

In Scene Three, the setting is the same but five years later. The people on the streets appear even more tired. It starts out with Shorty and Ella discussing the break up with Mickey and reveals that she had a child only to lose it to diphtheria. The scene also goes on the show the somewhat mended relationship between Ella and Jim which in turn causes her to lose her relationship with her parents. When Jim enters the scene, he mentions how he failed the bar exam yet again. Jim explains that the reason behind him not passing is his feeling of inferiority to the other students and not his lack of knowledge. Ella does not appear to be upset over this and tried to encourage him by referring to him as "white". This portion ends with Jim asking her whether or not she would marry him and she replies with a yes.

In Scene Four, the scene has changed and is instead in front of a church a few weeks later. Jim and Ella have married and the fear inside Ella is obvious. The two of them are headed towards the steamer to leave New York and Joe is optimistic.

'''Act II'''

In Scene One, it is two years later and two new characters are introduced, Jim's mother Mrs. Harris and his sister Hattie. They live in a home with decorations that give an air of wealth but are obviously cheaply made. The two start out talking about the arrival of Jim and Ella. Mrs. Harris mentions Hattie's defiance to the marriage between the two. Hattie and her mother both agree that there should be union between the two races. They continue to talk about the place to which Jim and Ella moved, accept the interracial marriage, and then argue over whether they should stay away or come back. Hattie believes Jim should face the prejudice head on. Jim enters and explains that Ella grew lonely and afraid being in France and Jim feels that it was because of him. Hattie prods for the truth of whether Ella loves him or not. This infuriates Jim but he reveals that they indeed moved back so he could face everything that he believed was making his wife sick in addition to taking the bar exam. Ella enters and runs to Jim with a distaste that upsets Hattie but they try to reminisce and remain civil with each other. Hattie is asked about what she has accomplished and she proudly says that she has been studying and became a teacher of a colored school. Just like with Jim, Ella tries to degrade her accomplishments and uses the failure of her husband to make her feel better about Hattie's success. The appearance of a tribal mask shocks Ella and she stresses how Jim isn't going to take the exam. This scene ends with Hattie and Mrs. Harris leaving the apartment and giving it to Ella and Jim as a gift.

In Scene Two, both Jim and Ella are still in the apartment but it is six months later. Jim is seen with law books stacked around him. Hattie enters the room with Jim and proceeds to ask him about Ella's condition, which has worsened. That leads his sister to suggest that he leave her because he is likely to get sick as well. It is revealed that she has developed mania and has sunk to calling Hattie derogatory words. Jim has in turn thrown Hattie out for trying to separate them. After Hattie is forced out, Ella enters with a knife in hand and asks Jim to be Uncle Jim and for her to be the little girl. As she is almost coaxed into bed she calls Jim a nigger and the scene ends with Jim in emotional agony.

In Scene Three, it is six months later and Ella appears even more sick than before and approaches the tribal mask with a deranged demeanor. Ella exposes her true feelings towards Jim taking the bar exam and black people succeeding. Jim enters with a letter that held his results of the examination, which he failed. The play ends the revelations that Jim decided against retaking the exam and that Ella wants to go back to the time where she was referred to as "Painty Face" and Jim as "Crow".

Inspector Leonardo Tanzi, the head of the anti-gang squad of the Roman branch of the Italian State Police, is pursuing Emmanuel Dominique Ferrender, a French gangster who holds a monopoly on criminal activity within Rome. A raid at a casino that Ferrender is reported to operate proves fruitless until Savelli, a one-armed criminal with ties to Ferrender, walks by the establishment. Tanzi and his partner, Inspector Francesco Caputo, arrest Savelli but are forced to release him without charge; he later kills a guard during a bank robbery.

To find Savelli, Tanzi and another colleague, Poliani, question Savelli's hunchbacked brother-in-law Vincenzo Moretto during his work at a slaughterhouse, but he refuses to cooperate. To arrest him, Tanzi plants drugs in Moretto's Porsche, allowing him and Poliani to interrogate him, where he still refuses to answer their questions. While using the bathroom, Moretto cuts his wrist using his watch's armband, requiring him to be hospitalized; fearing a public scandal concerning police brutality, Vice-Commissioner Ruini has Moretto released without charge and transfers Tanzi to the licenses and permits department.

Three of Moretto's friends avenge him by kidnapping Tanzi's girlfriend Anna, a juvenile court magistrate, and take her to a junkyard, where they intimidate her by pretending to leave her to be crushed to death by the machinery and give her a bullet to present to Tanzi as a warning. Traumatized, Anna is unable to identify the culprits to Tazni, but he realizes Moretto's involvement due to the bullet and confronts him, ordering to swallow the bullet in a show of force. Sometime later, Tanzi helps Caputo exhume a decaying body found in Castelfusano, which he suspects is connected to Ferrender.

Maria Assante, the widow of a deceased colleague of Tanzi's, asks him to investigate the whereabouts of her teenage daughter Marta, who has fallen into an abusive relationship with drug dealer Tony Parenzo. When Tanzi attempts to confront Tony in his apartment, he attempts to escape with Marta, who is too sick to comply, forcing him to kill her with an overdose of heroin; Tanzi gives chase, but Tony escapes after taking hostages. Having recovered from her ordeal and disillusioned with her career, Anna decides to temporarily live in Milan with relatives, which Tanzi agrees may be beneficial for their relationship. While helping her move out, Tanzi notices Tony on the street and savagely beats him. To avoid further punishment, Tony attempts to convey key information about Ferrender, but he is shot dead by Moretto from a car driven by his friend Albino; they drive away just as Caputo and Anna arrive. When Albino asks Moretto why he did not kill Tanzi, he reveals that he intends to kill him in a direct confrontation by using the bullet he was forced to swallow.

Tanzi threatens to resign from the force when Ruini insinuates that he may have been Tony's killer, but they are interrupted when Savelli and two of Moretto's friends hold up a bank. Tanzi and a marksman infiltrate the bank through its air conditioning ducts and kill the gangsters without harming the hostages. Impressed by Tanzi, Ruini allows him to pursue Moretto, who commandeers an ambulance to escape the police, killing several bystanders in the process. Anna identifies her kidnappers as Savelli's accomplices and Albino, and that the junkyard they took her to was at the edge of town. Tanzi soon discovers that the junkyard was once owned by Ferdinando Gerace, a businessman he had previously argued with over a lost license and encountered during his search for Marta, determining that he is a middleman between Ferrender and Moretto's gang.

Meeting at Gerace's warehouse, Moretto and Albino divide the ransom from a prominent jeweller they had kidnapped with Gerace and his men. Tanzi, Caputo and Poliani arrest Gerace; when Tanzi confronts Albino, he is disarmed and beaten by Moretto, who gloats that the corpse found in Castelfusano was that of Ferrender, who he had killed several weeks prior. Moretto kills Caputo with Tanzi's sidearm and flees, prompting Tanzi to use Caputo's gun to shoot him dead.

In 1560, Erzsébet Báthory is born into the Hungarian noble Báthory family, the daughter of general George Báthory of Ecsed. From an early age, Erzsébet's parents raise her to accept hardness and cruelty. As a teenager, Erzsébet is impregnated by a young peasant lover and is forced to watch as he is brutally tortured and executed before her eyes; Erzsébet's mother takes the child away from her directly after its birth, ensuring that she never sees him again. Erzsébet is later married to Count Ferenc Nádasdy, with whom she has three children. After Nádasdy's return from the Ottoman-Hungarian Wars, he succumbs to a disease he contracted abroad and dies.

Erzsébet, now the sole heir of her husband's vast estate, seeks recognition from the Hungarian Habsburg King Matthias II. Matthias consents reluctantly due to his considerable debt to the Countess. At a ball, she meets Count György Thurzó's 21-year-old son, István, and falls in love with him. After a night together, István is forced by his father to end the relationship and marry the daughter of a wealthy merchant in Denmark. Erzsébet, 39, believes that their age difference is to blame for the failure of the relationship. After an incident in which she is splashed with blood after striking a female servant, Erzsébet starts to believe that bathing in the blood of virgin girls can help her to reach eternal youth and beauty, a belief reinforced by her sycophantic servants who insist her skin is suddenly much smoother. To this end, her staff capture and brutally kill peasant girls to obtain their blood.

It is only when Erzsébet starts to kidnap aristocratic girls that the authorities begin an investigation. Count Thurzó is asked to investigate the incidents and he thus sends István, now a count himself, to visit Erzsébet. István reluctantly goes to visit her, and they spend a passionate night together. István, despite his affections for the countess, still suspects the countess and when he and one of his companions discover evidence of her crime, they arrest her. During the trial, Erzsébet is found guilty and, due to her noble origin, she is sentenced to spend the rest of her life walled into her room in Čachtice Castle in total isolation. Erzsébet's staff are also found guilty, but unlike her they are put to death. All of her estate is awarded to the Count Thurzó with the exception of Čachtice, which is given to her children.

Driven by desperation after being walled in, Erzsébet Báthory commits suicide. She is then buried without a coffin in a humble grave, with no funeral ceremony. The film casts doubt on the sentence, suggesting that much of the happenings have been manipulated by Count Thurzó.

Michael (Markus Redmond) is an African-American boy with a genius I.Q. His family refuses to encourage him and tries to bring him down, and his mother (Whoopi Goldberg) nicknames him "Ugly". Michael enrolls in a high school drama class and finds encouragement from an eccentric teacher.

The Radio Pirates is the story of Karl Jonathan and his father. They leave the city for the father's dilapidated childhood home but soon realise that the entire village of "Skjelleruten" has been transformed into the ultimate safe society, where children are strictly protected from behaving like children. Karl Jonathan and his new friend, Sisseline, start an uprising against this model village with the aid of a closed-down pirate radio. But the model citizens refuse to give in without a fight.

Mary Fanshawe (Fay Wray) is a dedicated, professional supervising nurse in an urban hospital. She is very friendly with one resident, Dr. Preston (Walter Byron), although it is clear that she is not his sole object of attention. Fanshawe reprimands one young nurse, Doris Andros (Mary Carlisle) for her careless attitude, but she is unaware that Andros and Preston are seeing one another in secret. Fanshawe is far less friendly with young Dr. Jim Barclay (Ralph Bellamy) despite his attentions toward her. Barclay, though, is also distracted by tensions with his superior, Dr. Walter Selby (Walter Connolly), who rejects the younger man's suggestions of trying more modern medical and surgical techniques.

During a crucial operation that Selby had insisted on performing himself, he finds himself unable to continue and hands the procedure to Barclay, who succeeds with a radically new technique, calmly observed by Fanshawe, who is acting as head nurse. Selby is forced to concede that his own time as a lead surgeon and hospital head has passed. Later, when a patient nearly commits suicide because of a mistake made by Andros, Barclay discovers the nurse with Preston, who was supposed to be on rounds in the ward, together on the hospital's rooftop.

Barclay attempts to cover for his fellow doctor, but when Andros learns she is to be fired, she threatens to expose the deceit. In the end, both Andros and Preston are forced to leave, with Fanshawe and Barclay now ready to collaborate both professionally and personally.

The sequel to the film begins with Sebastian's arrest. Shortly thereafter, the criminal Joakim Jensen is arrested and put in a prison cell together with Sebastian. Kamilla is very worried about Sebastian and one day she goes to visit him in prison. After the visit, her sister Sofie is no longer afraid of Sebastian and allows Kamilla to write him letters.

Peter still makes fun of Kamilla and claims that Sebastian is a thief. Kamilla contradicts him and explains that Sebastian has become a child of God. The teacher explains to the children that there are many thieves even in school and that there are different ways of stealing (stealing secrets, stealing self-confidence). But the teacher also explains that even if people have done wrong, if they are sincerely sorry, they can go to heaven.

At Christmas, Sebastian is released from prison on parole and goes to see Kamilla and Sofie. At the same time, Joakim Jensen breaks out of prison again. Sebastian fixes Kamilla's kite and tells his story to the other kids. The children befriend him, but many of the adult villagers are still skeptical and unfriendly towards Sebastian. Only Sofie, Kamilla and the other children believe in Sebastian.

When Sebastian, Sofie and the children celebrate Peter's birthday, the sisters Maren and Pauline meet Joakim Jensen, who is hiding in old Simon's hut and then ties up the two girls and holds them captive. Sebastian, Peter and Kamilla go in search of the two and observe what is happening through a window. While Kamilla gets reinforcements, Peter and Sebastian storm into the hut. Peter manages to free the two girls while Sebastian fights with Joakim. When Sebastian stumbles over a carpet, falls and remains unconscious, Joakim Jensen takes to his heels. During his escape he knocks over a candlestick, whereupon the curtains catch fire and a short time later the hut is on fire. Christoffer manages to pull Sebastian out of the burning hut at the last second.

Sofie and Kamilla take Sebastian in and take care of him. When he finally regains consciousness, the two take him outside. There, all the villagers are busy rebuilding the hut for Sebastian.

The novel begins in the 1790s in the coastal town of Monkshaven (modeled on Whitby, England) against the background of the practice of impressment during the early phases of the Napoleonic Wars. Sylvia Robson lives happily with her parents on a farm, and is passionately loved by her rather dull Quaker cousin Philip. She, however, meets and falls in love with Charlie Kinraid, a dashing sailor on a whaling vessel, and they become secretly engaged. When Kinraid goes back to his ship, he is forcibly enlisted in the Royal Navy by a press gang, a scene witnessed by Philip. Philip does not tell Sylvia of the incident nor relay to her Charlie's parting message and, believing her lover is dead, Sylvia eventually marries her cousin. This act is primarily prompted out of gratefulness for Philip's assistance during a difficult time following her father's imprisonment and subsequent execution for leading a revengeful raid on press-gang collaborators. They have a daughter. Inevitably, Kinraid returns to claim Sylvia and she discovers that Philip knew all the time that he was still alive. Philip leaves her in despair at her subsequent rage and rejection, but she refuses to live with Kinraid because of her child.

Philip joins the army under a pseudonym, and ends up fighting in the Napoleonic wars, where he saves Kinraid's life. Kinraid returns to Britain, and marries. His wife, who knows nothing of their history together, informs Sylvia that her husband is a great military leader. Kinraid's marriage suggests to Sylvia that he was not as faithful to her as she had remained to him, and she then realizes she is actually in love with Philip. Philip, meanwhile horribly disfigured by a shipboard explosion, returns to the small Northumbrian village to try to secretly get a glimpse of his child. He ends up staying with the sister of a servant of Sylvia's deceased parents, and rescues his child when she nearly drowns. He is fatally injured while saving his daughter, but his identity then becomes known and he is reconciled with his wife on his deathbed.

Josie (Pat Shortt) is a good-natured man with learning difficulties who lives and works at a garage in a small rural Irish village. The owner, Mr Gallagher, is a former schoolmate who is not interested in the garage and is only waiting for the right offer from developers so he can sell. For Josie, one day rolls into another with nothing but his menial job and a few pints in the local pub, even though the regulars mock him and his ways. Kind-hearted Josie's only other companion is a large horse that is tethered alone in a field. He talks to the animal and brings it food.

One day his boss hires his girlfriend's 15-year-old son, David (Conor Ryan) to help Josie. Slowly Josie connects with David as they endure the slow and menial pace of the garage. One night after work, Josie innocently shares some beers with David. They sit and watch the sunset at the rear of the garage. Josie joins David and other local teenagers down by the railway tracks and brings beer for all of them. The new social aspects to his life lifts his confidence. At the local pub, he gets the courage to dance with Carmel, the local shopkeeper. But she shows her cynicism for Josie by explicitly telling him she feels no physical attraction towards him.

The friendship between Josie and David progresses nicely until one fateful day after work. Josie shows David a pornographic film which Josie received from a trucker who frequents the petrol station. David feels uncomfortable and leaves. Josie, sensing something is wrong, follows him outside but is unable to clarify the situation.

David returns the following week but does not stay after work. Instead, he leaves with Declan, a local boy who openly mocks and despises Josie because he is different. Nevertheless, Josie offers Declan a beer and cheerful goodbye. The next day, the local Garda come to the garage and take Josie to the police station because there has been "a complaint". It transpires that David told Declan about the previous weekend's incident and word reached David's mother that Josie had supplied her son with alcohol and shown him pornography. After an interview with a sympathetic officer, Josie explains it was just a bit of "craic" and "pure innocent". No charges are brought and he is released. But he is told to stay away from the town and especially to avoid contact with David. Josie returns to the garage. While eating dinner, he suddenly realises what has happened. Shocked, he puts his head in hands all alone in his little room at the back of the garage.

The next day Mr Gallagher comes to the garage. Although not explicitly stated, Josie is told that he or the garage are finished. Unable to sleep that night, Josie gets dressed and sits on the edge of his bed. He then goes down to the river at dawn and sits for a while on the bank. Josie then takes off his well-polished shoes and socks before neatly placing his garage cap on them. He then wades slowly into the water arms outstretched.

In the final scene, the lonely horse which was tethered in a field, has been cut free. It stops and looks directly into the camera as the screen fades to black.

The book explores American serial killer Carl Panzram's life inside the American prison system, in addition to the circumstances of the many murders he committed. Henry Lesser was a young jail guard at the Washington DC district jail when Panzram arrived for incarceration in 1928. After hearing of Panzram's harsh imprisonment, Lesser befriends him and convinces him to write a biography. 40 years after the execution of Panzram, Lesser found a writer for a book that would contain Panzram's writing and the circumstances of Panzram's many incarcerations over the course of his life.

A shipwreck near the Solomon Islands leaves San Franciscan Harmon Darrell (Terry) and his daughter Nancy (Butler) adrift in a lifeboat. Cyril McVeagh (Carey) a ship's captain reduced to drunkenness and brutality by his shattered love affair with Nancy, rules one of the islands, accompanied only by his deranged mate "Pearly" Gates (Russell) and the island's natives. McVeagh is about to marry Liana (Foster), a native who loves him but is desired by Pearly, when Nancy arrives on the island, horrified at McVeagh's dissipation. Tanarka, Liana's former betrothed, leads a native rebellion against McVeagh, who sends Nancy away in a boat before the attack. McVeagh struggles with his crazed mate in his burning shack before Pearly recovers his reason and the two hurriedly leave the island. Liana, believing McVeagh dead, remains behind to mourn him, while McVeagh sets a course for San Francisco and civilization.

When freshman Trixie Stone accuses her ex-boyfriend, Jason Underhill, of raping her at a party, students and townspeople, alike, are quick to take Jason's side when he claims that their intercourse was consensual. Trixie's parents, Daniel, a mild-mannered comic book artist from a rough upbringing, and Laura, a college professor having an affair with one of her students, become involved, and Jason, whose life is supposedly ruined by Trixie's accusation, leaps from a bridge, dying by suicide. Although Jason's death was first presumed to be suicide, Trixie is quickly turned to as a suspect, accused of pushing Jason off the bridge. Trixie then flees to the Yup'ik region of Alaska where her father grew up. Daniel and Laura eventually find Trixie in Alaska.

At the end of the novel, Laura confesses to Daniel that she was present when Jason died. Jason, who was intoxicated, lunged at Laura because Trixie, her daughter was ruining his life. Laura pushed Jason off the bridge but he held onto her. Laura reached to his hand, but then let go, thus revealing that Trixie is innocent, but Laura is not. The novel concludes with the final chapter with Daniel's latest comic, showing a father reunited with his daughter, after saving her from the depths of hell.

The main plot and subplots are juxtaposed throughout the book with Daniel's latest comic, entitled ''The Tenth Circle'', which parallels with Daniel's life and the novel itself.

In the comic, inserted into the book, there's a hidden message. The message, “Nothing is easier than self-deceit, for what each man wishes that he also believes to be true” – DEMOSTHENES

The novel opens in 1985 at the scene of the discovery of a third victim of the "Night Gardener" so called by the homicide investigators, and establishes Cook as the lead investigator with Ramone and Holiday as rookies. All three victims of the killer were found in community gardens, shot in the head after being similarly assaulted.

Twenty years later Holiday has left the force and Ramone has become a homicide detective. Ramone is working with his squad on the murder of Jacqueline Taylor. They manage to arrest and extract a confession from her boyfriend Tyree Williams which is backed by physical evidence. At home Ramone enjoys a happy family life and tries to mentor his son through the prejudices of his new school.

Holiday now works as a chauffeur, drinks in a bar and is unmotivated. One night after cruising, drinking and getting lost, Holiday falls asleep in his car near a community garden. He witnesses some events before sleeping again and awakes to find the body of Asa Johnson with a gunshot wound to the temple. Holiday makes an anonymous call to the police.

Bill "Garloo" Wilkins is the primary investigator on the Johnson case. Ramone becomes involved because of the boy's friendship with his son. He begins to notice similarities to the palindrome murders but says nothing. The Johnson family pressures Ramone to find a suspect. Evidence and the autopsy show a link with the palindrome murders. Wilkins uncovers evidence that Johnson was homosexual on his home computer. Ramone recognises Holiday's voice on the tape of the anonymous call and tracks him down.

Holiday also realises the similarity to the palindrome murders and contacts Cook. Now retired and afflicted by a small stroke, Cook continues to trail the early suspect Reginald Wilson. Wilson went to prison shortly after the last murder in the 80s and Cook still believes Wilson is the "Night Gardener". He is invigorated by the possibility of another chance to prove his theory and eagerly joins Holiday in an unofficial investigation.

Ramone arranges to meet with Cook and Holiday. Holiday is truthful about everything he saw on the night of Johnson's death and Cook tells Ramone about his suspicions over Wilson but it turns out that Wilson has an alibi for the night in question.

The night after the Johnson killing Ramone's partner, Rhonda Willis becomes the primary investigator on a new case, the murder of Jamal White. They find that the same gun was used in the deaths of White and Johnson. Through a tangled chain of connections detectives trace and arrest Aldan "Beano" Tinsley who, under pressure, confesses to finding the gun when walking through the gardens - after Asa Johnson shot himself.

Remembering the number of the patrol car from his night near the gardens, Holiday manages to identify the officer driving as Grady Dunne without Ramone's help. Ramone meets Holiday and tells him that Johnson's death was not related to the palindrome murders. Ramone convinces Holiday to identify Tinsley as the man he saw in the gardens on the night of Johnson's death in order to strengthen the White case because he abused Tinsley's rights in order to get the information he needed. Holiday is surprised to find that Ramone is not as straight as he believed.

Ramone returns to the gardens and finds Asa Johnson's journal hidden near where his body was found. He reads the diary in full and finds that Johnson had a relationship with a man who used the pseudonym "RoboMan". Ramone believes this was Johnson's math teacher Robert Bolton. Ramone resolves to trace the origins of the gun Johnson used, finding it belonged to Terrance Johnson which he remains quiet about. Instead he passes the information about the teacher on to the Morals Unit.

Holiday keeps the information about Johnson's suicide from Cook as he is worried it will demoralise him. Holiday and Cook follow Dunne to the gas station where Wilson works and are excited at the potential connection. They split up and Holiday confronts Dunne and realises that while he is corrupt he was not involved in Johnson's death. Holiday resolves to tell Cook the truth. Cook follows Wilson and then goes to his home with plans to break in. Cook approaches the house but becomes suddenly unwell and passes away in his car outside.

Holiday tells Ramone that Cook is missing and eventually finds his body. Holiday moves it to another location to avoid the press saying that Cook was still obsessed with the palindrome case. Blaming himself for Cook's death, he resolves to break into Wilson's home himself. In an unrelated drug shootout, Dunne is on the take, and in the melee, Brock, Benjamin and Dunne are killed and Henderson flees.

The novel closes with a return to 1985 and the revelation that Wilson was responsible for the palindrome murders, hiding trophies from each victim in his record collection.

Tough, sharp-shooting, and just a bit unkempt, Cha Soo-kyung (Go Hyun-jung) is the leader of Investigation Team 1 at the Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency. She is haunted by her failure, years ago, to catch a serial killer who wound up murdering her fiancé and escaping. When a new serial killer whose crimes resemble the old killer's surfaces in Seoul, Cha is appointed as the first female detective to head H.I.T, the Homicide Investigation Team, charged with capturing the murderer. Soo-kyung's work is her life, and she is most comfortable when she is with her team. Because of her determination and work ethic, she immediately clashes with newly appointed D.A. Kim Jae-yoon (Ha Jung-woo) from the Prosecutor's Office who was assigned to work for H.I.T. Jae-yoon is a laid-back playboy whose greatest priority is to enjoy life. Despite their differences and personal conflicts, the two make a surprisingly formidable crime-fighting duo, and slowly realize that they have a lot to learn from each other. Soo-kyung must overcome her past and her grief for her dead boyfriend, and come to terms with her feelings for Jae-yoon.

Angie (Kierston Wareing), a young woman frustrated after being fired from her thirtieth dead-end job, decides to set up a recruitment agency of her own, running it from her kitchen with her friend and flatmate Rose (Juliet Ellis). Angie is able to build a successful business, while also dealing with a neglected son who gets in trouble at school and parents who disapprove of her venture. She also has to keep reassuring Rose that they will become legitimate once the business is on a firm financial footing - they do not have a licence, but Angie at least insists on only hiring workers with papers, not illegal immigrants.

Meanwhile, Angie becomes romantically involved with Karol (Lesław Żurek), an English-speaking Pole who is in the same predicament as those Angie recruits. She also helps Mahmoud, his wife and two young daughters, much to Rose's distress. Mahmoud has been ordered deported, but he has gone into hiding to avoid a likely jail sentence back home in Iran.

Despite Rose's misgivings, Angie becomes increasingly eager to do whatever it takes to build the business. When Angie anonymously informs the government about a camp of immigrants, that is the final straw for Rose. She quits.

Disaster strikes when one employer refuses to pay twenty of Angie's workers the £40,000 they are owed. They blame her, and some of them take drastic action. They first kidnap her son Jamie (Joe Siffleet), then tie her up. After searching her flat, they take her profits (about a quarter of what they are due) and leave, but not before warning her that they want the rest or she will never see her son again. Soon after, Jamie shows up, unaware that the "policemen" he was talking to were fake. In the final scene, Angie abandons her scruples completely; she travels to the Ukraine to knowingly recruit illegal workers, offering to obtain forged papers for them.

The year is 1659. Miguel Lienzo is in financial trouble as a result of some trades in sugar that have gone poorly. He is being pursued by his creditors and is looking for a way out of his current problems. His friend Geertruid persuades him to invest in coffee, a little-known commodity in Europe. After trying coffee for himself at a Turkish coffee house, he is convinced that there could be a market for the beverage in Europe. He devises a scheme to manipulate the price of coffee by buying up as much as possible on several exchanges around Europe simultaneously. Miguel gets Geertruid to front the money for the initial purchases, and he arranges for most of the foreign trades, ordering 90 barrels of coffee through an Amsterdam broker named Isaiah Nunes.

Meanwhile, Miguel is living with his younger brother Daniel and his young wife, Hannah, who is pregnant. Miguel owes money to Daniel as well as to other creditors, but his coffee scheme will take months to pay off, and he is on the verge of losing more money on some bad investments in brandy futures contract. His long-time enemy Solomon Parido approaches him with overtures of friendship and an offer to connect Miguel with a buyer for the brandy futures. Though skeptical, Miguel goes through with the trade, only to see the price of brandy rise just before close of trading. The trade mitigated Miguel's potential losses, but cost him money he might have earned if he had retained them. On the advice of Alonzo Alferonda, Miguel is able to earn a significant profit on whale oil futures, which costs Parido considerably and allows Miguel to pay off many of his debts and regain some standing in the community.

Several intrigues follow. Miguel finds a mutual attraction with his sister-in-law Hannah. Parido catches wind of Miguel's interest in coffee, and appears to have coffee interests of his own. Parido uses his influence with the Jewish ruling council, the Ma'amad, to censure Miguel. Miguel receives threats from creditors still waiting to be paid, even as he is himself waiting to be paid for his profits in the whale oil trade. He begins to have suspicions about Geertruid's trustworthiness and takes some of her coffee-investment money to pay some of his creditors. Miguel and Daniel's relationship is strained by many of these events.

When Nunes's coffee shipment arrives in Amsterdam, it appears that Nunes has promised it to both Parido and Miguel Lienzo. Parido and Lienzo place a wager on the final price of coffee for the day and both attempt to manipulate the price in their favor. Miguel wins the wager and a considerable sum, but betrays Geertruid in the process, believing Geertruid to having been Parido's spy. He repays her initial investment but cuts her out of the profits she was expecting.

Hannah deceives Daniel by informing him that their baby is actually Miguel's and, along with his bankruptcy, he informs her he is leaving the city and will grant her a divorce. She goes to Miguel's house and they plan to marry. Miguel learns that Geertruid was working for Alferonda, not Parido; he tries too late to make amends. Geertruid leaves the city with her companion, Hendrick, but not before Hendrick beats Miguel's sometime-friend Joachim in retribution for Miguel's betrayal. Miguel and Hannah have a son, Samuel, and later another boy. His prosperous future now lies securely in the coffee trade.

An unhappily married couple, Chung and his wife Kuen in Hong Kong invite the wife's beautiful cousin, who has survived a horrifying experience in Mainland China, to live with them. She has her own special way of overcoming hardship and becomes the master of the barbecue.

Paul Scallen, a deputy marshal, is escorting train robber and wanted fugitive Jimmy Kidd to Tucson to stand trial. The two travel to a small town called Contention, where they prepare to catch a train to Yuma later in the afternoon. The two hole up in a hotel room close to the train station with the help of Mr. Timpey, a representative of Wells Fargo sent to ensure Kidd is brought to justice for stealing the bank's money.

Scallen and Kidd wait in the hotel room and spend the next few hours discussing Scallen's pay and motivations. Scallen sees several men waiting outside, who are revealed by Kidd to be his gang, who have been tracking them in secret. Their leader, Kidd's loyal second-in-command Charlie Prince, asks after Kidd, who assures Charlie that he will soon be released and urges Scallen to do so to avoid bloodshed. Scallen refuses and the two continue to wait for the train. Mr. Timpey returns, along with another man named Moon, who is intent on killing Kidd for a crime he was acquitted of in a previous trial. After a brief scuffle in which Scallen incapacitates Moon before he can shoot Kidd, the two leave the hotel room in order to catch the arriving train to Yuma. After reaching the train station, Scallen finds himself surrounded by Charlie’s men, and after a brief exchange, a gunfight ensues in which Kidd attempts to crawl away while Scallen shoots Charlie and another gang member dead. Scallen makes a break for the train, pulling Kidd onto the car with him. Safely inside the train car, the two agree that Scallen has earned his money.

Elmo Bunn is an L.A. pizza delivery man with a reputation for never having delivered a cold pizza or being stiffed on a bill. When a call comes into his shop for an extra-large with sausage and anchovies to go to a dangerous part of East Hollywood, Elmo knows he's in for trouble.

A robot named Electronic escapes from Professor Gromov's laboratory. The robot looks exactly like Sergey (Serezha) Syroezhkin, a boy from a magazine cover, who was chosen by Gromov as a model to construct Elektronic.

By coincidence, the double meets its prototype. 6-grader Serezha cunningly suggests that Elektronik should impersonate him - go to school instead of him and even live in his home. His plan works, as no one can tell the difference between them. Serezha's teachers delight in a very gifted pupil, who suddenly shows unbelievable talents in math, gymnastics, drawing and even singing. Sergey's parents do not suspect his trick and are glad of their pseudo-son's progress.

However, eventually the boy realizes that as the robot takes over "his" life, he may be out of business...

At the same time somewhere abroad, a gang of criminals operates. It is headed by a criminal authority known as Stump. He tells Urrie, the gang’s most skillful member to find and kidnap Electronic. They want to organize the "crime of the century" with the use of his extraordinary abilities.

Qiro Anturasi, Royal Cartographer of Nalenyr, had been instrumental for his family's reputation as the most reliable map-charter in the known world. Merchants and princes all sought his clan's maps, even as the House of Anturasi continued sending out expeditions to expand their wealth of information, surveying unmapped territories, making detail notes of fauna, flora and geography.

The Anturasi had been vital to Nalenyr's growing wealth and rise in power. Considered a crucial state treasure that must not fall into the wrong hands, Qiro was confined, on orders and under protection of the Naleni princes, to his estate Anturasikun in Moriande, capital of Nalenyr. There, he continued to oversee his clan's map-making enterprise, training the scions of the clan into the family trade, ruthlessly subjecting them to rigorous training and demands, for more than half a century.

Now, the family stood poised on the brink of a historical breakthrough event which could catapult their standing further and beyond the imagination of rival map-makers. Intertwined with their mission were the political ramifications for Nalenyr, the aggressive northern state of Deseiron, and Helosunde which served as buffer between the two former powers. Much of Helosunde had been under Desei occupation, and Nalenyr provided Helosundian refugees sanctuary and support to confound Desei designs on Nalenyr.

Qiro's grandsons, Jorim and Keles, were tasked with undertakings that would take them in opposite directions. Jorim was to embark on a specially commissioned ship ''Stormwolf'' to make accurate longitudinal charts at sea with a secret new instrument. Keles was to tasked to rediscover the lost segment of the pre-Cataclysmic Spice Route, which would take him into ground zero of the Cataclysm, a region where the ancient wild magic still raged.

Nirati, sister to Jorim and Keles, remained behind in Moriande to hold the fort, for stakes were high and there were many hidden players whose intrigues threatened her beloved brothers.

Meanwhile, in the aftermath of the devastations caused by the wild magic, the ''jaecai'' who had not departed with Empress Cyrsa's expedition, continued the ''xidantzu'' tradition in their schools martial arts. Their best students became itinerant warriors who travelled the realms to help fight injustice without regard to political affiliations. Moraven Tolo was one such warrior. When hints to powerful cache of ancient weapons, imbued with magicks from their former wielders, came to his attention, the ''jaecai''s became concerned that opportunistic parties would see it as an easy means of raising a strong army without the necessary ability, discipline and experience to control the power, possibly leading to history repeating itself.

As the elephants in Celesteville took to motoring, the city's train station lost its original purpose. Queen Celeste decided to convert the station into an Art museum to showcase all the artworks she and Babar had collected over the years.

When the museum was opened, the adult elephants patiently explained to the young elephants different perspectives on art appreciation.

John Kinsdale is a NATO computer specialist living with his wife and two children in Naples, Italy. Trying to find a new housekeeper, she calls the number on an ad in the domestics section of a local English-language newspaper. When Kinsdale arrives home from work, he finds his family brutally murdered with the perpetrators nowhere in sight. The sudden tragedy nearly drives him to suicide, but upon seeing a television report on the deaths he instead resolves to avenge his family's murder.

After the funeral, Kinsdale is visited by Police Inspector Lupo, is coordinating investigation efforts with the U.S. State Department. Lupo tells Kinsdale that hair strands at the crime scene identify the suspect as a redheaded male, between the ages of 25 and 45. Kinsdale steals U.S. Embassy credentials from Lupo, before meeting with his colleagues Janice Tilman and Mike McAllister. With McAllister, he runs the suspect's description and the analytics of their hair sample through a NATO database, and finds two possible suspects; Americans Andrew Taylor, who has disappeared, and Eddy Fonseca. Kinsdale tracks down Fonseca to the Pompeian ruins, but quickly rules him out when it becomes apparent he's just a tourist.

Another American family is killed under similar circumstances, so Kinsdale travels to the crime scene using his stolen credentials, where he meets an Embassy worker named George Edmonds. After a few drinks at a local bar, Edmonds discloses the President received a letter several weeks ago demanding the release of a group of political prisoners and $10 million, or every three days an American family living in Italy will be murdered. The first two deadlines have already passed, with the third fast approaching.

Meanwhile, Lupo is briefed by a CIA agent about the suspected perpetrators behind the murders; Taylor and known terrorist Kamal Hamshari. Lupo talks to Edmonds about Fonseca, believing it was Edmonds who interviewed the man, as he is the only other person with credentials at the embassy. Edmonds describes the man he met and mentions he also had a pass, prompting Lupo to realize it was Kinsdale. Upon returning to Naples, Kinsdale is confronted by McAllister, who realizes Kinsdale plans to kill Taylor and produces a computer prediction that only gives Kinsdale an eight percent chance of success.

Through the same newspaper his wife read, Kinsdale realizes that the terrorists are targeting families who answer to a domestic want ad. Claiming he is surveying the effectiveness of the classified advertisements, Kinsdale learns that the Gerardi family has just made an appointment to talk to a prospective housecleaner, Miss Pidgeon. Before Kinsdale can leave, Inspector Lupo arrives to arrest him, but Kinsdale flees and manages to elude capture. That night, he breaks into the Geraldi residence armed with a gun and orders them to cooperate. When Miss Pidgeon arrives at the door, her suspicions are immediately raised and her men open fire on the house, but flee when Kinsdale returns fire, accidentally leaving behind a purse.

Kinsdale goes to Janice's apartment, where he is promptly berated by McAllister for not going to the police and risking the lives of the other targeted families., but Kinsdale retorts that he will not allow the killers to be imprisoned just so another group can hold the U.S. hostage. Searching Pidgeon's purse, finds a napkin with the name of a café printed on it. Going to the cafe, he finds the killers' van and spots Taylor walking outside. He gets in his car, follows Taylor down an alley, hits him with his car and then beats him bloody. Taylor stabs him with a switchblade knife, but Kinsdale disarms him, then strangles Taylor to death with a steel chain. Bleeding, Kinsdale returns to the garage, breaks into the upstairs apartment and discovers his daughter's doll and a phone number.

CIA agents ambush Kinsdale, but see his stolen credentials and assume he's a State Department investigator, giving him a ride back to the embassy. Back at the base, Kamal, posing as a deliveryman, drives a small truck, with Pidgeon and ten armed men inside. They enter a closed Post Exchange building, kill the janitor and hide. When the exchange opens, they take the customers hostage and order the store manager to deliver a ransom letter to authorities. At the U.S. Embassy, Kinsdale asks a woman to dial the phone number he found. When he discovers it is for the Post Exchange, he steals a car, drives onto the base and crashes through the front windows of the building. He leaps out, shoots a number of terrorists and is wounded, but manages to knock down another killer. He pulls off one of the terrorists' masks to reveal Pidgeon, who spits in his face before he shoots her between the eyes. Another gunman takes aim on Kinsdale, but a female hostage picks up a machine gun and kills the man. Kamal take another hostage, but Kinsdale keeps shooting, forcing Kamal to run outside. Kinsdale follows and guns his wife's killer down, then falls to his knees. Inspector Lupo and Mike McAllister take the empty pistol from Kinsdale's hands as he sobs.

The story begins in 1858 at Charton School, a fictional English public school (i.e. secondary boys’ private school in North American usage) where Dr. George Onslow, a clergyman of great note, is headmaster. Onslow is credited with having turned around the previously poor reputation of the school: it is now seen as a very successful institution. But Onslow has a secret: he is sexually attracted to many of the pupils and has had affairs with several of them. There is also much homosexual behaviour amongst the boys themselves, a situation that may be due to Onslow's relatively permissive attitude.

The plot of the story begins to unfold when one of Onslow's young lovers—Arthur Bright—reveals his affair with the headmaster to another pupil, Christian Anstey-Ward, an idealistic young man who admires the ancient Greek ideal of Platonic love between males. Christian is shocked and incredulous, but is forced to believe Arthur when the latter gives him a passionate letter indiscreetly written to him by Onslow. Christian leaves Charton that year, still in possession of the letter. The following Summer he has a homosexual experience with a boy a little younger than himself and the guilt and self-doubt precipitated by this event prompts him to consider whether he should break Arthur‘s confidence and reveal Onslow‘s secret. While on holiday in Europe, he describes the whole affair in a letter to his father. The rest of the novel relates how the latter is able to use this information to exert a powerful hold on Onslow, which radically affects not only his career, but also his personal relationships and inner life.

Former star football player Rod Turner is now an alcoholic and playing in non-league football. Third Division club "The Saints", owned by pop star Clint Simon, are on a cup run and win their quarter finals match when their star striker is injured. Unable to find a suitable replacement player from another club, Simon has the idea of hiring his childhood idol Turner, over the protests of team coach Jake Marsh. Simon approaches Turner and takes him on a trip to Paris, where he meets his old flame Cloudy, a singer who is making a record with Simon. Turner accepts the offer and, after training with the team, plays in the semi final match but he is caught drinking at half-time in the dressing room by the coach Jake Marsh and banned from playing in the final. Turner is also torn between his girlfriend Susan and Cloudy, who takes Turner in after another drinking episode. Turner is on the bench in the final, but comes on as substitute to score the winning goal and clinch the cup.

Freighter owner and captain Mike Dillon reluctantly smuggles Jewish immigrants into Palestine, making it very clear to the Jewish leader, David Vogel, he is only doing it for the money. Dillon is annoyed to learn that he will have to go ashore to get paid the eight thousand U.S. dollars he is owed. When a British patrol boat arrives sooner than expected, Dillon is forced to join the Jews in their flight for freedom. There are casualties on both sides before the refugees get away, including one of Dillon's men.

The plot centers on two women, Mrs. Patrick and Allie Mayo, who have exiled themselves from the world because of emotional pain caused by their husbands. Allie Mayo has refused to say an “unnecessary word” since the death of her husband. Mrs. Patrick has returned to the place that she and her husband used to visit and had talked of buying to bury the things that hurt her. The main action of the play takes place in an abandoned life-saving station that Mrs. Patrick has recently bought, on the cape, in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Three men, Bradford, Tony, and the Captain, fight to save a man who has drowned at their old station, now the house of Mrs. Patrick. The men have brought the victim to this place because of convenience, since the body was found only forty feet from the house, and out of habit, since they used to work from this location. At the end, it is Allie who tries to save Mrs. Patrick from the life that she wants.

;Part 1 Emma Lou Born in Boise, Idaho, Emma Lou Morgan is an African-American girl who has extremely dark skin. Her mother's family have lighter skin that shows European ancestry; the "blue-black" hue came from her father, who left her and her mother soon after her birth. Believing that her color will reduce her marriageability, her mother's people try to help her lighten her skin with bleaching and commercially available creams, but nothing works. When her mother says "a black boy could get along but a black girl would never know anything but sorrow and disappointment," Emma Lou wishes she had been a boy. The only "Negro pupil in the entire school," she feels extra conspicuous at graduation among the white faces and white robes.

Emma Lou's Uncle Joe encourages her to go to the University of Southern California (USC), where she'll be among black students, and he encourages her to study education and move South to teach. He believes that smaller towns like Boise "encouraged stupid color prejudice such as she encountered among the blue vein circle in her home town." Emma Lou's maternal grandmother was closely associated with the "blue veins", black people whose skin was light enough to show veins. Uncle Joe thought life would be better for Emma Lou in Los Angeles, where people had more to think about.

At USC, Emma Lou intends to meet the "right" crowd among other Negro students. On registration day she meets a black girl named Hazel Mason; unfortunately, when she speaks Emma Lou decides that she is the ''wrong'' sort, definitely lower-class. Other girls, though pleasant, never invite her into their circles or sorority, especially when they recognize that they've seen her with Hazel, whose "minstrel" demeanor is not good for the black image. When Hazel drops out of school, Grace Giles become Emma Lou's friend but informs her that the sorority only accepts wealthy, light-skinned girls. Emma Lou begins to notice that black leaders tend to have light skin or light-skinned wives. By summer vacation, she feels more trapped by her skin.

Back in Boise, Emma Lou meets Weldon Taylor at a picnic. Although darker than her ideal, he attracts her, and she ends up going too far with him that night, thinking she is in love. Over the next two weeks, she is thrilled to be with Taylor, for "his presence and his love making." He had been to college but temporarily dropped out to build up his tuition fund, traveling from town to town, finding work and a new girl each time. When he announced that he was leaving Boise to become a Pullman porter, Emma Lou blamed her color. She puts in the rest of her college time, then moves to New York City to find work—and hopefully, a better life.

;Part 2 Harlem In Harlem, Emma Lou meets a young man named John whom she decides is "too dark." She heads to an employment agency seeking work as a stenographer; lacking experience, she pads her account of her skills. She is sent to a real-estate office for an interview, only to be told that they have someone else in mind. She returns to the agency and the manager, Mrs. Blake, invites her to lunch, and Emma Lou is "warmed toward any suggestion of friendliness" and excited to have the chance "to make a welcome contact."

Mrs. Blake tells her about work prospects, saying that black businessmen preferred to hire light-skinned, pretty girls; she advises Emma Lou to go to Columbia Teachers' College and train for a job in the public-school system. After lunch, Emma is walking on Seventh Avenue and while stopping to check her reflection, she notices a few young black men nearby and hears one comment, "There’s a girl for you ‘Fats’", to which the reply is: "Man, you know I don’t haul no coal."

;Part 3 Alva Determined to stay in New York, Emma Lou finds a job as a maid to Arline Strange, an actress "in an alleged melodrama about Negro life in Harlem." She thinks all the characters are caricatures. Arline and her brother from Chicago take Emma Lou to her first cabaret one night, where he makes her a drink from his hip flask. Emma Lou, entranced by the dancing, gets to be part of it when a man from another table, Alva, invites her. When the lights go up, he returns her to sit with Arline and her brother. The next morning, Alva and his roommate Braxton discuss the previous evening, agreeing that Alva did Emma Lou a favor in dancing with her.

Intrigued by the cabaret, Emma Lou talks to the stage director about being in the dance chorus. He tells her plainly the girls are chosen in part for appearance, and notes they all have lighter skin than hers. She decides to look for a new place to live, hoping to meet "the right sort of people."

One evening she goes to a casino, where she recognizes Alva. When she approaches him and asks if he remembers her, he politely acts like he does: he talks to her, dances with her, and even gives her his phone number. She calls him a couple of times before they make plans. Braxton is critical of Alva's seeing her, but he thinks, "She’s just as good as the rest, and you know what they say, ‘The Blacker the berry, the sweeter the juice.’"

;Part 4 Rent Party After avoiding taking Emma Lou to parties or dances, not wanting his friends to meet her (preferring to be seen with light-skinned Geraldine), Alva finally takes her to a "rent party. Used to manipulating young women for money, Alva liked Geraldine for herself. Emma Lou was very excited about the party, and worried that she would encounter more discrimination. Once there, they happened on to a conversation revolving around race: the differences between being a mulatto and a Negro, and individuals who are prejudiced or "color struck."

At the rent party, Emma had consumed more alcohol than usual, and the next morning her landlady demands that she find somewhere else to stay. As the woman speaks, Emma Lou remembers a little more about Alva bringing her home after the party and realizes that the woman might be right that her behavior hadn't met the boardinghouse's respectable standards. Emma Lou thought more about Alva, who seemed kinder than others in her life, but she was aware of his manipulation.

Alva has his own trouble with Braxton: he has no job and pays no rent. When Braxton finally moves out, Alva doesn't want Emma Lou to move in. One night the couple goes to a theatre, but Emma Lou doesn't have a good time: "You’re always taking me some place, or placing me in some position where I’ll be insulted." One night, after an argument with Emma Lou, Alva returns to his room to find Geraldine sleeping in his bed; when she wakens, she announces that she's pregnant by him.

;Part 5 Pyrrhic Victory Two years later, Emma Lou works as a personal maid/companion to Clere Sloane, a retired actress married to Campbell Kitchen, a white writer very interested in Harlem. He encouraged Emma Lou to seek more education in order to achieve economic independence. She has few friends and still feels very out-of-place. When she tries to see Alva after they had stopped seeing each other for a time, Geraldine answers the door and Emma Lou leaves without comment.

Geraldine and Alva's son has been born disfigured and possibly intellectually disabled, and seems to bring them endless trouble; they often wish he would die. Geraldine blames Alva—another man would have made a better baby—and her mother blames both of them for not bothering to marry before his birth (or conception). Alva has become a money-wasting alcoholic; Geraldine works hard, trying to build up an escape fund.

Having moved to the Y.W.C.A., Emma Lou has found some new friends and is studying teaching. She continues to work hard but to feel no better about her appearance, although her friend Gwendolyn Johnson tries to help her. She starts seeing Benson Brown, a light-skinned man described as a "yaller nigger." His appearance seems reason enough to see him. But when she learns that Geraldine had abandoned Alva and their son, she goes to check on them and he soon has her taking care of little Alva Jr. After 6 months, she begins teaching at a Harlem public school, wearing much dark-skin-concealing makeup but being teased for it by colleagues. She nurtures the child better than his parents ever did, but she and Alva have a rocky relationship.

As Emma Lou gains more economic independence, she discovers that it isn't everything; she's still not happy. She decides to leave Alva and his son. When she returns to the Y.W.C.A. she contacts Benson, who announces that he and Gwendolyn have been dating and have decided to marry. They even invite her to the wedding.

Emma Lou realizes she has spent her life running: she ran from Boise's color prejudice; she left Los Angeles for similar reasons. But she decides never to run again. She knows there are many people like her and that she has to accept herself.

Ruby Bridges tells the story of how a six-year old Black girl integrated a New Orleans segregated school in 1960. Of course, Ruby didn’t achieve this feat alone– there was the NAACP that chose her; four US Marshalls that kept back the angry mob of haters bent on lynching her; a kind-hearted White teacher who pushed back against her racist superiors; a famous psychiatrist to help her with the stress; and, most of all, her courageous mother who shared the deep faith that gave the girl the strength to persist.

Six emotionally disturbed teenaged boys are sent from their homes throughout the United States by their affluent parents to Box Canyon Boys Camp near Prescott, Arizona, as the camp's slogan is "Send us a boy – we'll send you a cowboy", and the parents hope that the camp will mature the boys.

Each having originally been assigned to one of the six cabins, they are quickly cast out by the other campers and find themselves together in one cabin. After a contest between the six cabins sorts out the pecking order, their cabin predictably lands in last place. The boys, in accordance with the camp rules, do manage to raid all of the superior cabins and conquer their trophies so as to advance in rank, but they use badly executed subterfuge that is looked down upon by the other campers.

Five of the six cabins are named after various American Indian tribes and awarded mounted animal heads corresponding to each of the cabins' ranks, which are, from highest to lowest:

Apache – bull buffalo Sioux – mountain lion Comanches – black bear Cheyenne – bobcat Navajo – pronghorn Bedwetters – chamberpot

All of the Bedwetters refer to one another by last names, including the two Lally brothers, who are referred to as Lally 1 and Lally 2, although their first names are known.

An unpleasant confrontation between the boys and their counselor, resulting from the counselor's attempt to molest the youngest of the boys, ends with Teft breaking into their counselor's footlocker, finding whiskey, beer, cigarettes, and pornography. This find allows the Bedwetters to blackmail the counselor, who is called "Wheaties", into taking them to a ranch, where they witness a canned hunt of surplus bison rounded up from the surrounding area. The hunters (who won their spots at that hunt by lottery) stand or even sit along a fence, shooting at the fenced-in, nearly tame bison.

When the boys return, disgusted at the slaughter, they decide to break out of camp that night to stop the canned hunt. They ride horses into town, where Teft hot-wires an old truck. After a ride into Flagstaff, Arizona, on U.S. Route 66, they enter an all-night eatery for food but are accosted by two "redneck" types, who follow them away from the restaurant and force their truck to the side, where they discover it is hot-wired. Teft pulls a .22-caliber rifle from the back of the truck and shoots out a tire on the car driven by the men harassing the boys, then orders the men to start walking or "wear earrings".

Cotton and the other boys climb back into the truck and continue their journey to the ranch, but run out of gas just before reaching their destination. They walk the rest of the way and make their way through the fence maze on the ranch until they manage to open the exit gate so the bison can escape. However, the bison are content to stay until Teft hot-wires a state-owned truck and Cotton drives into the herd of buffalo while blowing the truck's horn, which alerts the hunters who are camped out nearby. Cotton drives the truck through the herd of buffalo and over the edge of the Mogollon Rim to his death, and the hunters surround the other boys.

Kolchak, sitting on the bed of a sleazy hotel room, is listening to a replay of his dictation on his portable tape recorder. The notes are about a series of murders that have plagued the Las Vegas Strip, and a cover-up of those events by the authorities. All of the victims had their bodies drained of blood. When a meeting is conducted with the sheriff's department, the FBI, the police, and others, they discover the suspect's true identity is Janos Skorzeny, who is the prime suspect in multiple homicides extending back years, involving massive loss of blood. When Skorzeny attempts to rob a hospital, the police are called to stop him. Skorzeny is shot multiple times without effect, and manages to escape by outrunning a police car and motorcycle.

Kolchak's girlfriend, Gail Foster, a casino 'change girl', urges him to explore vampire lore. The evidence persuades Kolchak to suspect that Skorzeny is a vampire, much to the disbelief of his boss Anthony "Tony" Vincenzo. Following yet another failed attempt to capture Skorzeny despite overwhelming police force, the authorities strike a deal with Kolchak to eschew their traditional investigative methods for his vampire-centric approach in exchange for giving him exclusive rights to the story. Acting on a tip, Kolchak locates Skorzeny's safe house and pursues the story on his own, fearful that the police will renege on their deal. Compromised when the vampire returns, Kolchak struggles to escape and is nearly killed by Skorzeny before his friend FBI Agent Bernie Jenks, alerted to Kolchak's presence in the house, arrives and joins the fight. Realizing that dawn has broken, Kolchak and Jenks force a weakened Skorzeny back against a sun-drenched staircase and stake the vampire, just as authorities burst through the front door.

Kolchak writes his version of the story for the newspaper and proposes to his girlfriend, telling her that they will both move to New York City. The authorities, however, unwilling to publicly admit that Skorzeny was the vampire Kolchak claimed, print a false version of the newspaper story with his byline and threaten to charge him with first degree murder unless he quietly leaves Las Vegas. They also tell him that his girlfriend Gail has already been forced to leave the city for being "an undesirable element." Carl exhausts his savings placing personal advertisements across the country in a futile attempt to find her.

The final scene reverts to Kolchak in his sleazy hotel room. He explains that if anyone tries to verify the events in the book, they will find that all witnesses have either left town, are not talking, or are dead. He concludes by noting that Skorzeny and all his victims have been cremated, destroying any further ability to investigate the matter and eliminating the possibility that those killed by Skorzeny would in turn rise as vampires and perpetuate the curse.

Jane Nichols has been a bridesmaid for twenty-seven weddings. One night when she is attending two weddings almost simultaneously, she meets Kevin Doyle, who disgusts her with his cynical views of marriage. Kevin and Jane share a cab home, where she forgets her day planner. Kevin snoops through the planner and resolves to return it to Jane. Meanwhile, Jane's sister Tess returns from a trip to Europe and quickly falls in love with Jane's boss George, on whom Jane has an unrequited crush. Tess feigns interest in George's passion for the outdoors and animal rights, and their courtship progresses rapidly. Soon, they announce plans to marry in only three weeks. Tess enlists Jane to be the wedding planner.

Tess and George's nuptials will be featured in the newspaper's Commitments section. The reporter turns out to be Kevin, who writes wedding announcements under the pseudonym Malcolm. Kevin successfully returns Jane's planner but decides to use the contents as material for a piece on the "perennial bridesmaid" as a stepping stone to more serious journalistic pursuits. Jane is unaware of Kevin's intentions. During their interview about Tess's wedding, Jane shows him the 27 bridesmaids' dresses in her closet. He takes pictures of her wearing all 27 dresses and submits the photos and his article about Jane for publication. As Kevin and Jane grow closer, he has second thoughts and begs his editor to hold off on publishing the article.

Kevin accompanies Jane on a wedding-related errand in Rhinebeck, New York. When the car breaks down, the two seek refuge at a local bar, and enjoy drunken revelry while singing "Bennie and the Jets". Kevin and Jane kiss and have sex in the car. That day, Kevin's editor runs the article about Jane on the front page of the Commitments section. Jane is betrayed and is furious at Kevin. Tess then gets angry at Jane for giving Kevin material about her, whom he describes as a bridezilla. The fight escalates when Jane learns that Tess altered their late mother's wedding dress to make her own gown (which Jane wanted for herself), the last straw on Tess's string of lies to George and demands on Jane.

Despite the fight, Tess still asks Jane to make a slideshow for her engagement party. Jane exacts her revenge by sharing pictures of Tess flirting with other men in the past, eating ribs, and holding a cat by the tail - in short, illustrating her numerous lies to George. After Pedro, the child that George mentors, reveals that Tess had him cleaning George's apartment for money, George breaks off the engagement.

Later at work, George tells Jane that he appreciates her because she never says no. Remembering that Kevin once said the same thing as criticism, Jane quits and admits she only stayed at the job because she was in love with George. She discovers after an experimental kiss that she no longer loves George. She finds Kevin at a wedding he is covering and announces her love for him.

One year later, Jane and Kevin are getting married. George and Tess meet at the ceremony and hope for a second chance show. All 27 brides serve as Jane's bridesmaids, wearing the dresses that she once wore as their bridesmaid.

The film begins ''in medias res'', with the suspects getting caught and being interrogated. Then it flashes back to three years earlier and the film continues forward from there, interspersed with occasional bits from the interrogation.

Three years before getting caught, Bridget Cardigan (Diane Keaton) lived a comfortable upper middle class life until her husband Don Cardigan (Ted Danson) was "downsized" from his position and sank into debt. The paycheck for Selina, the housecleaner, bounces again. Selina confronts Bridget and suggests she take a job as a janitor at the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City.

On her first day on the job, Bridget hatches a scheme to steal worn-out dollar bills slated for destruction. For her team she chooses Nina (Queen Latifah), who works the dollar bill shredder, and Jackie (Katie Holmes), who takes bill carts from the Secret Service room to the shredding room. It takes some work to persuade Nina to join, but Jackie joins them quickly.

The plan is that in the Secret Service room Bridget will switch a cart's official Master-brand lock with a near identical lock she purchased at Home Depot. Bridget will tell Jackie the cart number and give Nina the official lock. When Jackie gets the chosen cart, she dumps some bills from the cart into a trash can before taking the cart to Nina, who then uses Bridget's key to open it and restores the official lock, and then proceeds to shred the remaining bills. Meanwhile, Bridget, in the course of her janitorial duties, retrieves the dumped bills from the trash and splits them among Nina and Jackie in the women's restroom.

Their first robbery is a success though the take is not as big as they had hoped. However, they're emboldened to do it repeatedly. Once Don and Bridget pay off their debt, Don suggests they stop before they get caught. Bridget rejects this idea and persuades Nina and Jackie to keep going. They almost get caught but they end up cutting in Barry (Roger Cross), one of the security guards, who is attracted to Nina.

A Federal Bank Examiner shows up at a party at Bridget's house, and the next day Bridget sees him at work. The Examiner confronts Glover (Stephen Root), who is unwilling as a matter of professional pride to admit anyone has stolen a single bill out of his bank. Tipped off, that night Bridget and her accomplices begin trying to get rid of all the loot stashed in their houses, but the cops move in before all the evidence is destroyed. Bridget escapes but the others get caught.

Bridget hires a tax attorney to defend them. The lawyer gets Bridget and all her accomplices off the hook for their crimes, because neither the law enforcement, nor the examiner can ''prove'' that the large stash of cash in their homes came from the Federal Reserve Bank. Technically, it isn't illegal to have a couple of hundred thousand dollars in cash lying around inside a private residence. However, they spent a large sum of that stolen cash to buy expensive objects and improvements on their houses, and did not pay the taxes for them because they couldn't justify the income. The IRS demands they pay their taxes, which "turn out" to be equal in amount to the money that still remains.

Eight months later, Bridget reveals to Nina and Jackie that she had stashed away much of the stolen money in the basement of a friend's bar.

Jenna (McGregor) is a teenaged competitive skater who has been coached by her overprotective, high-strung, gun-obsessed mother Celia (De Mornay). When she quits competing and decides to go to college in Vancouver, her mother becomes very upset and tries to prevent her from leaving home; eventually locking her in a hot sauna until Jenna agrees to stay. Her father gives Jenna money behind her mother's back in order to help Jenna leave home. Her mother goes to Canada to force her to come back home. Once there, the mother becomes increasing unstable as she first tries to bring a handgun into Canada, tries to procure one from a drug dealer, and finally has sex with a policeman who gets a gun for her. After Jenna brings her father to Vancouver to fly her mother home that day, the mother instead insists, against Jenna's protests, that she will drive herself back. The father leaves and that night the mother breaks into Jenna's apartment and forces her to pack and drive home by gun point. Before they get out of Canada, the mother fires a warning shot at an overly-persistent squeegee man who, after cleaning the car windshield, is looking for some form of payment. Shaking, she orders Jenna to stop driving and runs into a tunnel in a park where she pulls the gun out and begs Jenna to shoot her. A struggle ensues over the gun with the mother getting a grazed in the head, knocking her off of her feet. As Jenna cradles her, Celia acknowledges to Jenna that she must let her go. The movie ends with the mother returning to the United States the next morning with a bandage on her head.

One evening, at the home of the cobbler old Bob and his washerwoman wife Joan, there is a knock at the door. Bob opens the door and sees a little boy in a torn and stained page's uniform. When asked "who are you?", the boy replies "I was a rat". Bob and Joan have no children and they take care of the boy by providing food and a bed. The boy was unable to eat with a spoon, and during his first evening he tore his sheets and blankets into strips. However, Bob and Joan were patient and the boy was a quick learner who, wanting to please them, carefully followed their instructions. When he spots a photograph of Princess Aurelia, the prince's fiancée, in the newspaper, he appears to recognise her as 'Mary Jane'.

Joan calls the boy "Roger", the name Bob and Joan would have used for their son. Bob and Joan take Roger to the City Hall to find how to return Roger to his proper home. An official declares that there are no lost children in the city, then notices that Roger has eaten a pencil belonging to the City Council. Bob and Joan take Roger to the orphanage, the police station, and the hospital, but no one can help locate Roger's home.

The Philosopher Royal learns about Roger and his belief that he was a rat, and takes Roger to the palace for tests. Roger announces that he has "been here before", and states that the Prince will marry Mary Jane, only to be told that the Prince will marry Aurelia. When confronted by a cat, Roger runs away from the palace and undergoes adventures as people exploit his ability to eat almost anything, and to wriggle through small openings. Roger escapes and lives in the sewers, but is discovered by the local paper, ''The Daily Scourge'', who exploit Roger again by writing about "the monster of the sewers". After a publicity campaign, Roger is captured and declared a menace whose fate is to be determined by a tribunal.

Bob and Joan learn that the tribunal may declare Roger to be a non-human monster that must be exterminated. Joan notices a picture of Princess Aurelia who by now has married the Prince. Joan remembers that Roger had mentioned Mary Jane, so in desperation Bob and Joan contact the Princess. When hearing about Roger and the name "Mary Jane" she announces that she will help. Due to her intervention, Roger is saved and is adopted by Bob and Joan. The Princess had been a girl who worked in the kitchen and kept a pet rat. Her wish to attend a ball at the palace was granted, and her rat was turned into a page boy as her attendant – a "Cinderella story".

Part I opens as Madison Washington carries a heavy load through the woods, lamenting his condition under slavery. Mr. Listwell, a free white man, secretly watches him in silence.

In Part II, the story moves ahead five years. Mr. Listwell is sitting at the table with his wife when they hear a knock at the door. Madison Washington is running from slavery, and Mr. Listwell is more than willing to help him escape. As they talk, Mr. Listwell tells Madison he remembers him from so many years before, and asks him where he has been all of this time. Madison reveals that on the day Mr. Listwell saw him, he left his wife and children to escape and seek freedom. Unable to find his way to the North, a week later he returned to his plantation. He met with his wife who regularly gave him food and provision, and for five years hid in the woods. However, a great fire caused Madison to lose his hiding place, which is why he ran to see Mr. Listwell. Mr. Listwell gives Madison a new coat and provisions and helps him escape to Canada.

In Part III, Mr. Listwell is in a tavern and reveals that he has traveled that day. As he drinks, he sees a slave-gang on their way to market, and is surprised to see Madison Washington among the slaves. Madison reveals that he reached Canada, but he missed his wife so much that he returned to the United States to help her escape. He reached her bedroom window, but he scared her so much that she woke up her master. The couple were chased by the master and his dogs. His wife was shot down and killed and he had been sold to traders who would take him to the Deep South. Mr. Listwell realizes there's nothing he can do for Madison in these conditions, but implores the man to put his trust in God. As he is leaving, Mr. Listwell buys three files; he gives them and $10 secretly to Madison. Part III ends with Madison taken aboard a ship, put in chains together with other slaves, and sailing to the South for re-sale.

In Part IV, white men speak about "unfortunate" events that occurred aboard the ship ''Creole''. Madison Washington gained the trust of all of the overseers on board and, using the files Mr. Listwell had given him, cuts through his fetters and leads the slaves in rebellion. Nineteen slaves survived the battle. Madison took over as captain of the ship, ordering it sailed to Nassau, in the British colony of the Bahamas. Britain had abolished slavery there in 1834. In Nassau, a group of black soldiers declared that they only protected property, and people were not property, so the 19 slaves were freed.

A viral species named the Dreel, originating from outside the Milky Way galaxy, invades human territory. The central human government, known as the Com, attempts to fight back, but finds that their resources are inadequate to repel the invaders. In desperation, the records of the work of Gilgram Zinder (who had discovered the superimposed Markovian reality and built the sentient supercomputer Obie to manipulate it) are unsealed and his work is reproduced. Lacking the time to develop the technology fully, the Com builds ships called Zinder Nullifiers, which simply erase the contents of the space that they are pointed at. When they make the final stand against the Dreel invasion fleet, the Nullifiers are switched on and left on, obliterating the Dreel fleet. However, something unexpected then occurs, as the void in space begins to grow, erasing everything in its path from existence.

At this point, Mavra Chang and Obie are reintroduced. It has been over 700 years since Obie faked his destruction and ran away with Mavra, and they are currently in another galaxy trying to positively influence the development of an intelligent civilization. Obie senses the malfunction in the Well World when the anomaly forms and begins to expand. He travels to the Well World, determines that it is broken and requires repair. He determines that the only person able to effect such repair is Nathan Brazil, but notes that the Well should have summoned Brazil to fix the malfunction. Obie recalls that Brazil was suffering from memory loss the last time he journeyed to the Well World; worried that this may have recurred, he and Mavra set out to locate Brazil.

Once back in the Milky Way, Mavra and Obie have a problem: Brazil doesn't want to be found. The amazonian superwomen that Ben Yulin forced Obie to create, known as Olympians, founded a religious cult based on the godhood of Nathan Brazil. Their population has expanded to fill an entire planet, with the women serving as emissaries for the cult. In the face of their dogged pursuit, Brazil has gone underground. Undeterred, Mavra and Obie join forces with a mysterious human named Gypsy and his miniature dragon companion (and Com agent) Marquoz to recruit a group of Olympians to try to track down Brazil. In the process, Mavra is quite surprised to find that one of the "founding mothers" of the religion, Gilgam Zinder's daughter Nikki, is still "alive" as a computer personality. Convinced that Obie remained in the control of Yulin, and that Mavra had perished seven centuries earlier, Nikki believes that Mavra's approach is a trick, and she sets out to double-cross Mavra and Obie.

Eventually, the investigators are able to track Brazil to a freighter operating in the space of the centaur-like Rhone (Dillians on the Well World). Despite the attempted interference of the Olympians, the party is able to meet with Brazil and discuss the situation with him. They find that he is very much in command of his faculties, and had not travelled to fix the Well because he didn't want to. Brazil informs them that in order to fix the malfunction, it would be necessary to temporarily shut down the Well of Souls, which would bring the Universe to the same end as if the rift in space were allowed to expand indefinitely. Although there would be a chance that the Well would short out beyond repair in the next few millennia, Brazil is willing to take the chance to give the races well beyond the reach of the rift the opportunity to achieve greatness.

Obie disagrees with this assessment. By his calculation, Brazil is underestimating the odds of failure, and overestimating how much longer the Well can persist. Obie argues that the Universe will end regardless, but if Brazil acts now, he will be able to restart it afterwards, and use the Well to reseed it with intelligent life. Obie proposes to use his own immense capabilities to reprogram the entire planet full of Olympians to travel to the Well World, acting as both as foot soldiers in the inevitable fight against Brazil's return to the Well World, and also as the massive seed population needed when the Universe is restarted. Although Brazil remains reluctant, he is ultimately enfolded within Obie and forced to see the machine's logic. Brazil finally agrees to go along with the plan, but on one condition: he will go into the Well of Souls and perform the necessary repairs, but only on the orders of another person, so that the responsibility for the billions of lives ended is not his alone.

With the plan thus laid out, the inner circle of Chang, Gypsy, Marquoz, and an Olympian head priestess named Yua travel to the Well World to put it into effect. Brazil indicates that he will follow sometime later, as he does not expect to receive a warm welcome. Although Obie is no longer able to help the party, he does impart them with a hint to the Well to influence the species that they are transformed into.

Upon arrival at the Well World, the party arrives at the South Zone, where they are met by Serge Ortega. Ortega is a former human, transformed by the Well into a Ulik, a six-armed being that is half man, half snake. Although his species has a relatively short lifetime, Ortega has taken advantage of Well "magic" to obtain an unlimited lifespan, but this "spell" lasts only as long as he remains in the Zone. Mavra risks telling Ortega about the crisis in the Well of Souls and the impending arrival of the Olympians and Nathan Brazil. Ortega was present the last time Brazil went into the Well of Souls, and he believes that Brazil was not God, as Brazil claimed, but a megalomaniac who might do real damage if he were allowed to re-enter the Well.

As the novel closes, Mavra, Marquoz, and Yua have arrived at their new hexes and are beginning to find their bearings. Marquoz is in Hakazit, a high-tech, volcanic land of massive armored lizards (though not firebreathers, to his disappointment). Yua is in Awbri, a nontechnological land of arboreal mammals in which the society is dominated by males. Mavra is in Dillia, semitechnological land of the centaurs. Gypsy resurfaces in an ocean hex, curiously untransformed. As the first waves of Olympians begin to pass through zone, an alarm sounds, and Serge Ortega is summoned to find that his guards have killed Nathan Brazil.

''Finding Kraftland'' is structured as a top ten countdown of the coolest attractions in Kraftland, which is the name given to Richard Kraft's house. Though the host, Stacey, continually bounces around between Richard Kraft's collectibles, the real focus of the film is the bond that develops between Richard and his son Nicholas. Richard remarks that, when Nicholas was born, he didn't know what to make of him, saying he felt as though an "alien being" was living with him. He then goes on to say that, around the time Nicholas turns 3, he realizes that he is "the most interesting person on the planet." This begins a whirl-wind love affair between father and son that sees the two trek around the globe in order to ride every roller coaster, launch themselves into a zero-gravity flight, and generally seek as many thrills as life has to offer. This story unfolds as Richard's collection, which consists of James Bond collectibles from the 1960s, pieces of Disneyland and Walt Disney World attractions, thousands of board games, and advertising memorabilia from Richard's childhood, is displayed and pored over by Stacy. The other story line that develops is Richard's relationship with his deceased parents and older brother, David Kraft, who died in 1993 due to Crohn's disease. The documentary comes to a climax when it is discovered that Richard has also developed Crohn's.

Good ol' boy Randy Pearson, a can't-win entrepreneur, finds himself in debt to mobsters when his latest scheme to keep his businesses afloat goes awry. With the IRS after him as well, he seeks a helping hand from his carpal-tunneled, baton-teaching wife, Charlotte; his estranged, gay twin brother, Cecil, and Tino Armani, a mysterious self-styled prophet with a knack for high fashion, Italian cooking and clog dancing.

''The Rachel Papers'' tells the story of Charles Highway, a bright, egotistical teenager (a portrait Amis acknowledges as autobiographical) and his relationship with his girlfriend in the year before going to university. Narrated by Charles on the eve of his twentieth birthday, the novel recounts Charles's last year of adolescence and his first love, Rachel Noyes, whom he meets in London while studying for his entrance exams into Oxford. Charles meets Rachel at a party and vows to win her over with his wit and wisdom. Unfortunately, she is seeing an American visiting student named DeForest, and Charles must employ a variety of meticulously calculated schemes to steal her away.

The title is an allusion to one subset of notes that Charles works on diligently throughout the novel – detailed instructions on everything from how to convince his Oxford don of his brilliance, to how to pick up and seduce girls. Instead of studying for his exams, Charles pours most of his time into these narcissistic chronicles, and after he meets Rachel, "The Rachel Papers" become the primary outlet for his neurotic brilliance. Gradually, however, these notes evolve beyond a set of conniving machinations geared toward getting Rachel into bed with him, and into a sincere story of their brief but passionate romance.

In the mid 1970s a group of young men leave the Connemara Gaeltacht, bound for London and filled with ambition for a better life. After thirty years, they meet again at the funeral of their youngest friend, Jackie. The film intersperses flashbacks of a lost youth in Ireland with the harsh realities of modern life.

For some the thirty years has been hard, working in building sites across Britain. Slowly the truth about Jackie's death become clear and the friends discover they need each other more than ever. However, by the end, the friends split up for good, going their separate ways.

A loner gunman named Maek is assigned to kidnap a police informant named Iht, but Maek has a change of heart when he takes Iht to the 'hit house'. Maek is ordered to kill Iht, but because he only kills scum and has discovered that Iht isn't bad, he refuses, turning the gun on the enforcers who had hired him to murder Iht. A gun battle ensues during which Maek is wounded, but Iht grabs Maek's gun and shoots their way out of the mobsters' headquarters. The two men then escape on Maek's motorcycle. Maek tells Iht to leave at gun point but he won't and takes Maek back to his rooftop hide-out. There, over a period of time, Iht tends to Maek's wound and finds himself attracted to him.

In fact, Maek is also attracted to Iht, but keeps it hidden, while Iht cares for his former would-be killer with great tenderness.

While giving Maek a bath one day, Iht kisses him on the mouth. Maek reciprocates and the two men engage in a passionate sexual experience. The next day, however, a conflicted Maek demands that Iht go away and leave him alone. Iht returns home to his fiancée, Sai, but is no longer interested in continuing a relationship with her. Iht spends his days pining over Maek, and tracks down Maek's brother, Mhok, and their mother. Mhok is HIV positive, as the result of sexual abuse by his and Maek's stepfather, and their mother is dying of AIDS.

Maek remains elusive, hiding from Iht when he visits the hideout, but leaving signs that he's there so Iht will return.

Though Maek avoids making contact with Iht, eventually he goes to visit his mother and brother, and Iht corners him at the entrance to the building, declaring his love for Maek and stressing how much he misses him. They kiss passionately. They are unfortunately covertly observed by Sai, Iht's live-in fiancée.

Maek's dream is to take his mother and brother away from Bangkok to the mountains of Mae Hong Son Province. But after Maek's mother overhears that Mhok has prostituted himself to survive after contracting AIDS from his stepfather, she commits suicide by hanging herself. The brothers take her down, and as they are rushing her from the apartment, she is killed by a gunshot fired by an unseen sniper. The bullet is presumably intended for Maek.

Maek's former mobster employers are gunning for him and Iht. Maek decides to hunt them down first, and he succeeds in killing them. After Mohk informs Iht what Maek is doing, Iht goes to the capo's house to try to stop Maek, but he is too late and misses Maek by a second. Iht is injured when the capo's wife shoots at a clock that shatters in Iht's face.

Maek, meanwhile meets his brother at the railway station to leave Bangkok for good. But before he can board the train, he is apprehended by the police and taken away. Mhok breaks down. He's the sole witness to his brother being apprehended.

Years pass by. Iht visits Maek in prison and reveals that he was left blind in the final gunbattle with Maek's ex-boss. Mhok commits suicide while at a Hospice of Watphrabahtnamphu in Lopburi because he no longer has the energy to fight his disease. Eventually, Maek is released from prison, and Iht meets him. But before the two men can leave to start their life together, Maek is shot dead by a single bullet fired by an unseen assassin. A bewildered, blind Iht collapses over his lover's corpse, swearing his love for him again and again.

Iht eventually regains his sight, and is finally able to view on his mobile phone a video recorded by Maek himself many years before, admitting that all along, he had loved Iht and that he would love him to his last breath.

A beautiful yet nefarious female SS officer/doctor, Ellen Kratsch (Magall), creates a genetic, incubus-like mutant human beast (Baccaro) in a castle in occupied Europe. The beast is a rapacious, squat sex fiend, which she uses to torture and molest female prisoners as part of a new medical experiment. The dwarfish beast is kept on a diet of mega-aphrodisiacs. In addition to the beast, as the Nazis battle a local insurgency, male and female captives are stripped naked and forced to endure various torture and interrogation, including electric shocks, systematic rape by the beast, finger-nail pulling, castration, and beatings. During the film's climax, the partisans attack the castle, and Kratsch is given to the beast in revenge.

Deborah Dainton suffers from a limp as a result of polio. Treatment for the disease as a little girl has left her claustrophobic and reclusive in large crowds. Her rigid and controlled life is transformed when she meets a struggling artist, Leigh Hartley, at a party she begrudgingly attends to please her parents. Although she is not interested in Leigh, his persistence pays off when she finally agrees to go out on a date with him. Deborah is initially defensive toward Leigh, but he begins to grow on her. Leigh brings Deborah home for some coffee, where he asks to paint her portrait, which she declines but, eventually, allows. Some time later, Deborah persuades Leigh to see if he can sell some of his artwork to an art museum but his work is bluntly rejected by the curator. The couple then attempt to make love at Leigh’s home but Deborah suffers a panic attack, which embarrasses her. However, Leigh reassures her, saying that he doesn't mind and then proposes that Deborah move in with him, and she agrees to, much to the dismay of her parents.

Deborah soon discovers that Leigh has been married. When she confronts him about this, he apologises and says he didn't want it to ruin their blossoming relationship. Eventually, Leigh and Deborah make plans to buy an antique shop for themselves to sell his art as well as any valuable antiques Deborah scouts out. However, Leigh believes that the couple cannot afford to do this any time soon and asks Deborah for help in a robbery that he says he will personally have nothing to do with. Deborah works at an antiques shop that is holding a value of £200,000 in a vault. Leigh says that if Deborah offers security details of the antiques shop to his thieving associates, the couple will receive some of the stolen money to open their shop.

Deborah is uncomfortable with this but, learning that Leigh would be forced into participating in the theft regardless of whether she aids the heist or not, she agrees to help. Soon, Deborah finds herself coerced into physically participating in the heist when a guard the thieves had bribed into allowing them entrance inside the antiques shop takes ill. The robbery goes successfully and, upon questioning by police, Deborah avoids suspicion. However, the guilt of her participation in the theft leaves Deborah sick of herself and of Leigh. Sometime later, a woman who had previously shown up at Leigh’s place before the robbery is revealed to not be whom Leigh said she was.

Leigh had told Deborah that the woman was a neighbour of his father's and that she had dropped by his home to inform him that he was ill. However, when Deborah runs into this woman again at Leigh’s home after the robbery, she learns from the woman that she is actually Leigh’s mother and that his father is doing just fine. Deborah does some more digging and comes to the conclusion that her introduction with Leigh at the party had been planned by Leigh and his associates. Deborah discovers that she was ''always'' going to be the insider who let the thieves into the antiques shop - there had never been a bribed guard in the first place.

When she confronts Leigh about her revelations, he eventually confesses. However, he then stresses that he has grown to truly love her. Leigh begs Deborah to stay with him but, upon realising that it is hopeless, he ponders, "Is that how fragile love is? All at once everything? All at once nothing?" Alone again, Deborah posts a letter to the inspector investigating the robbery and the audience is left to assume the letter is a confession of the names of all involved in the theft.

Four young women have a series of wild and raucous adventures during a bachelorette party in Las Vegas.

Hundreds of years ago, the game world's God was killed by a hero, Arkor, wielding the Godslayer sword. Centuries later, one of his descendants used the power of that sword to institute a theocratic rule, before eventually being defeated. The Inquisition is then established to stamp out any forms of religion in the land. The protagonist, Alita, is an inquisitor-in-training, but also another descendant of Arkor, capable of using the Godslayer sword. The story begins after the mythical sword is stolen by a group of religious zealots intent on resurrecting the God.

The player is tasked with retrieving the legendary artifact. Throughout the course of the game, a series of choices made by the player can lead the protagonist to choose a variety of paths, following or breaking with the Inquisition and changing the game's ending.

Ting is a struggling young actress who one day is noticed by Royal Thai Police Lieutenant Te, who heads up the crimes re-enactment unit and is always on the look-out for fresh talent. Ting is put to work playing the victim in photo shoots with the hand-cuffed accused killers and rapists at crime scenes. The photos are published in Thai newspapers as a means of the police publicizing that they have closed the case and done their jobs.

Ting takes a liking to her job, and is so convincing that even the criminals are moved to remorseful tears. Her popularity soaring, Ting is signed to play the lead in a film based on one of her true-crime re-enactments - the murder of Meen, a former Miss Thailand whose husband, Dr. Charun, is accused of the crime. Ting then starts experiencing some scary visions that lead her believe that Meen's longtime friend, Fai, is responsible.

Then it is revealed that the events were actually entirely a film about Meen's murder, and Ting is merely a character being played by another actress named May. But while on the set filming the movie, in real life May was really possessed by a spirit that is very obsessed with her.

The film protagonizes Allan, a professional bodyguard based in Beijing whose tactical and martial skills and quick thinking are well shown as having protected several statesmen from assassination. He is hired by James, a wealthy Hong Kong businessman, to protect his beautiful girlfriend Michelle Leung, who is the only surviving witness to a murder, after all the others had been eliminated in various ways. Allan arrives at the girl's home in Hong Kong to meet with two somewhat incompetent plainclothes police officers - Fat Po and Ken - in charge of her safety. Soon after meeting Miss Leung, he proves the entire contingent of current bodyguards incapable in his fight with them during what he thought was an assassination attempt, and they are all fired. He also disarms both policemen.

The bodyguard inspects the entire home and vehicles for bugs, bombs and layout, and installs security cameras covering various areas, including Michelle's bedroom, which he can monitor through a personal device. She is unhappy about this and, after attempting unsuccessfully to order him out, manages to knock down the camera with a frying pan. He also gives her a panic button.

During a road trip, hitmen attempt to assassinate her but fail due to Allan's strategy of having a decoy VIP car driven by Fat Po and the girl riding with him in the trailing van.

Michelle tries getting away from her bodyguard by complaining to her boyfriend and by sneaking away during the night with the younger officer, Ken, in a car. Allan reassures James and nonchalantly makes himself visible in the car's headlights as the escapees start it; Michelle has a fit as she goes back into the house.

Michelle eventually goes to the shopping mall accompanied only by the two cops. The mall, however, is staked out by operatives. One is about to murder her by firing his suppressed weapon through a stall partition, but is shot first by Allan, who had followed them and was in the stall beyond hers. This initiates a gunfight through the mall; Allan takes out multiple hitmen while shielding the girl. Eventually he realizes all the hitmen have two pens in their front pocket as identification, and poses as one to take more out. During their escape Fat Po is wounded.

One of the assassins who posed as a police officer and killed by Allan during the shoot-out is the younger brother of Killer Wong, a former Chinese soldier who fought together with his brother. Wong swears vengeance on Allan.

In the meantime, Michelle shows her attraction, which understandably had been growing since the beginning, to Allan after using her transmitter to make him storm the bedroom and "protect" her. He leaves to continue his duties, leaving her panting behind the door.

Things come to a climax when the transmitter sounds again, this time in earnest. Wong and a group of assassins storm the penthouse and start a gunfight. Both policemen and Allan rush to protect her; Ken, the younger cop, was killed by Wong himself. Allan uses his firearm and martial skills and, after darkening the room, cunningly takes out all the assailants until only Wong is left. He and Wong have a long fight, complicated by leaking gas which threatens to black both out. Eventually Wong recovers a pistol and takes the girl hostage. James arrives unawares, and attempts to dissuade Wong from shooting by offering to pay Wong, but Wong refuses. When an opportunity arrises as the assassin backs away, Allan shields Michelle with his body and takes two shots but manages to pull out a bayonet, with which he had been previously wounded, from his chest and throw it towards Wong's neck, killing him.

Before the film ends, James drives Michelle to the border between Hong Kong and mainland China as she tries to see Allan a final time before he heads back to China but guards at the checkpoint deny them entry into the mainland. However, Allan leaves Michelle with the box that held the watch she had given to him as a present and he had tried to refuse. However, when she opens it, the box contains his own watch, while Fat Po receives Allan's payment money to fund his son's school tuition. Michelle cries out Allan's name just as his car drives away from the border back into the mainland.

Wile E. Coyote walks out of his cave, carrying a foldable elevator to capture Bugs Bunny who is successfully captured and placed inside a sack. But Bugs is able to make some breathing room for himself by getting out of the sack. He then asks "Ehhh, whatya got in the bag, Doc?" to which the coyote apologizes for being rude even to his breakfast. The coyote then proceeds to introduce himself with a calling card (Wile E. Coyote, Genius, Have brain, Will travel). The rabbit comments, "Have brain, eh? Hey that must be very handy at times." Upon hearing this, the coyote begins a long reply about how his brain will prove handy by predicting that Bugs will escape from the bag, having bought some time through the coyote's lengthy reply. Wile E. then concludes that he and Bugs both know that there is nothing left in the bag, but Bugs questions him otherwise, having got out of the bag just as the coyote predicted. Bugs is proven to be right, when Wile E.'s face turns grey from the explosion inside the bag. This buys the rabbit some time to escape, and the coyote promptly chases him. But what Wile E. does not know that Bugs has rigged some dynamite inside his foldable elevator, and when he presses a button to descend down the rabbit hole, the elevator explodes, with the wall and door panels toppling and his whole body becoming grey due to the explosion ("Poor chap, he had his chance. Now he must take the consequences!"). The coyote retreats back to his cave, carrying the destroyed elevator, then, inside his cave, has ordered & built a super smart computer called the Acme UNIVAC, a device that MIGHT help him capture the rabbit once and for all.

1. In the first attempt to capture Bugs using the UNIVAC as an assistant tool, Wile E. spies on Bugs going down his rabbit hole and securing it with a rotating-type combination lock. On the UNIVAC, Wile E. presses the following buttons in sequence: RABBIT->HOLE->COMBINATION LOCK, and programs the computer to output a piece of paper which contains the combination pattern needed to unlock Bugs's hole. Later that night, Wile E. sneaks in to unlock the lock, but Bugs (reading a book) seems to be prepared for this when he hears the coyote unlocking the lock, and he throws an "emergency" banana peel to the bottom of the ladder from a glassbox (Label: In case of coyote, break glass). Surely enough, as Wile E. descends down the ladder, he slips and throws himself off a cliff through a "Coyote Disposal Chute".

2. Morning then comes, and Bugs is busy preparing his breakfast. Again, Wile E., on his second attempt to capture Bugs, spies on him preparing toasted carrots. This prompts the coyote to press the following buttons on the UNIVAC in sequence: BREAKFAST->TOASTER->CARROTS. The computer then offers a solution: substituting hand grenades for the carrots. The coyote then proceeds to the hole to make the substitution. It succeeds, but the toaster's spring malfunctions, springing the grenades back to the surface where Wile E. stands ("OH NO!"). With the rabbit missing the supposed "toasted carrots" for breakfast, he comments: "One of these days, I'm gonna have to have that spring fixed."

3. On his third attempt, Wile E., clueless, presses the following buttons on the UNIVAC: WHAT->NOW. Without showing to the audience the contents of the paper, the computer offers another solution: suck up the rabbit using a bathroom plunger. The coyote then proceeds to do the task, but Bugs counteracts it by installing a chute through another hole, which sucks up a butterfly and the coyote! Upon being sucked, the Wile E. retreats.

4. The fourth attempt of Wile E. now employs slipping a dynamite (TNT stick) into the vacuum cleaner that Bugs currently uses to clean up his place. The plan works, but the dynamite does not explode. Bugs then climbs up to throw the trash that the vacuum cleaner has gathered to the nearest trash can (where Wile E. is hiding inside). Smokes emerging from inside indicate that the rabbit has re-ignited the fuse of the dynamite, and the dynamite explodes, warping the trash can in the process. Wile E.'s greyed-out head appears momentarily until the lid (which was launched upward when the dynamite exploded) knocks him out.

5. On the fifth and final attempt, the computer suggests trying a booby trap in the carrot patch. Wile E. promptly does this, rigging up a carrot in the patch to a boulder (which should fall off and crush Bugs), and hides. The rabbit then climbs up to harvest the carrots while singing ("Carrots wait for no one, so I pick them now, before they are eaten, by some slobby cow..."), and picks up the rigged carrot. But the trap does not activate, and, in frustration, Wile E. proceeds to check whether the trap works or not. Upon touching the rope, the trap activates, making the rock boulder fall. Now panicking, Wile E. inputs on the UNIVAC: "ROCK -> FALLING. WHAT'LL I DO?" To which the computer responds, "Go back and take your medicine." The coyote then scurries back to the carrot patch, and gets crushed by the boulder. It is then revealed that the brain behind the UNIVAC is actually Bugs, who says, "Of course the real beauty of this machine, is that it has only one moving part" shaking his head and swirling his eyebrows.

Jenny and Dan wake up from the events of last night where Jenny mocks Dan for doing "the wave". Dan figures that he should explain to Serena what "the wave" meant, while Jenny goes to Blair for help with Chuck. Serena on the other hand thought that Dan hated her when he did "the wave" and goes to Blair's place to ask what the staredown meant at the party. Blair for her part does not want anything to do with Serena, and hopes she doesn't show up at Chuck's father Bart's annual brunch.

After telling Serena that she knows what transpired between her and Nate the night Serena left, Blair orders Serena to leave her and her group alone. Meanwhile, at the Palace, Nate and Dan encounter each other waiting for Serena. Chuck sees Dan and it almost comes to blows; Nate restrains Chuck and leads him off to Bart's brunch.

At the Waldorf penthouse, Jenny confides to Blair about Chuck, and the junior assures her that Chuck hasn't said anything yet. Jenny then helps Blair dress up for the brunch, and as a reward, Blair gives her one of her mother Eleanor's old dresses. Meanwhile, Rufus meets Lily in Brooklyn, and tells her that Dan "might be the guy Serena needs."

Dan and Serena meet outside the Palace, and after explaining about "the wave," he invites her to eat, just as Lily arrives and orders Serena to proceed to the brunch.

Dragging Dan along, Serena goes to the brunch, infuriating Blair with her presence. Nate surreptitiously gives Serena a key to Chuck's suite so that the two can talk out from under the watchful eyes of Blair; Chuck gives Blair an identical key, telling her to grab Nate and "seal the deal." Blair and Nate, already in action, tumble into the suite only to be greeted by Serena. Blair flips out, and runs to find Dan to tell him about Serena's past. Meanwhile, as Dan steps outside, he sees Lily and Bart discussing their relationship; Lily catches sight of Dan and admonishes him, demanding that he tell no one what he overheard.

Blair finally catches up with Dan, which led to Serena coming clean to her date. A disappointed Dan is further enraged when Chuck insults Jenny, and throws a second punch at the would-be rapist. Serena tries to explain herself to Dan, but he leaves the brunch without her.

Back at the Humphrey apartment, Dan relates to Rufus and Jenny that he "...found Serena, but then [he] lost her." Blair and Nate make up yet again, and Jenny tries out her new dress as Serena throws away her cellphone that contained pictures of her, Blair, Chuck and Nate.

A far-right candidate reaches the second round of the election for the French presidency, sparking riots in Paris. Hoping to escape Paris but needing cash, a street gang made up of Muslim Arab youths; Alex (Aurélien Wiik), Tom (David Saracino), Farid (Chems Dahmani), the pregnant Yasmine (Karina Testa), and her brother Sami (Adel Bencherif) take advantage of the chaos to pull off a robbery. Sami is shot, and the group splits up: Alex and Yasmine take Sami to a hospital, and Tom and Farid take the money to a family-run inn near the border. Innkeepers Gilberte (Estelle Lefébure) and Klaudia (Amélie Daure) claim their rooms are free and seduce the two men.

At the hospital, the emergency room staff report Sami's injury to the police. Sami insists Yasmine run before the police catch her. His dying wish is that Yasmine not have an abortion. Alex and Yasmine flee, leaving the fatally wounded Sami behind. Alex and Yasmine phone their friends for directions to the inn. Tom and Farid give them directions but soon after are brutally attacked by Gilberte, Klaudia, and Goetz (Samuel Le Bihan). When Tom and Farid try to escape, Goetz runs their car off a cliff. The injured men wander into a mine shaft, where Tom is quickly recaptured. Farid must fend for himself with the family's rejected children in the mine. Unaware of the danger, Alex and Yasmine arrive at the inn and are captured by the family.

Alex and Yasmine are chained in a muddy-floored pigpen. Alex breaks Yasmine's chains and allows her to escape. When the captors discover Yasmine's escape, the family patriarch, von Geisler (Jean-Pierre Jorris), cuts Alex's Achilles tendons. Meanwhile, in the mine, Farid finds the storage area for the victims. The family realizes something is amiss in the mine, and Hans (Joël Lefrançois) chases Farid into a boiler where Farid is cooked alive. Yasmine flees from the inn but is quickly picked back up by Goetz. Back in the pigpen, von Geisler personally grants Alex's last wish to be put down quickly. Initially, von Geisler wishes for Karl (Patrick Ligardes) to "wed" Yasmine to carry on the family lineage, but when von Geisler learns she is already pregnant, he entrusts her to the meek Eva (Maud Forget), who tells Yasmine that she came to the family in a very similar manner and that she is obedient because the family promised her that her parents would return for her some day. Eva also tells Yasmine of the rejected homeless children she and Hans care for in the mine.

Eventually, Eva leads Yasmine down to dinner, where the family awaits her. Von Geisler is revealed to be a former (and still practicing) Nazi who's lived at the inn since the end of WWII. Von Geisler offers up a toast to the new blood, and Yasmine quickly grabs a large knife and takes von Geisler hostage. Hans grabs a shotgun and shoots von Geisler in the confusion; Karl shoots Hans dead in turn. Yasmine escapes and is chased by Karl and Goetz into the mine. Yasmine eventually makes her way into one of the body storage rooms, where she fights with Goetz. After a bloody struggle, she repeatedly hits him with an axe before impaling him on a rotating table saw. Karl catches Yasmine as she tries to return to the surface, but Eva comes to the rescue, blowing off Karl's head with a shotgun. Yasmine searches for car keys to escape but is ambushed by Gilberte and Klaudia bearing sub-machine guns. Yasmine hits a gas tank during the shootout, blowing up the room. Gilberte survives the explosion and attempts to kill Yasmine, only to have her throat torn out by her. With everyone else in the neo-Nazi family dead, Yasmine tries to persuade Eva to leave with her, but Eva stays to take care of the children in the mine. On the road, one hears on the radio that the far-right candidate in the election has won the second round, thus becoming the new French President. Yasmine runs into a police blockade near the border, where she surrenders to the authorities.

The Wife of Bath’s Prologue belongs to Fragment III (Group D) of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales and is essentially about marriage. The Wife of Bath, or Alisoun, establishes herself as an authority on marriage in the first three lines of her prologue. She tells the other pilgrims that she has been married five times and, likely anticipating the hostility of her fellow pilgrims, attempts to provide justification for her numerous marriages. Alisoun states that Christ never stated the number of times people could marry, but people assume that because he attended a single wedding, that of Cana of Galilee, individuals should only marry once. She points to how Abraham and Jacob each had more than two wives. Alisoun’s justification of her actions continues with her note that, while Christ is perfect, she is not.

Alisoun moves away from her attempts to justify her numerous nuptials and, instead, starts to discuss the men that she married and her relationships with them. According to her, three of the five were good men and the other two were not. The three that were good were all old and rich. Alisoun prides herself in telling the other pilgrims that she had control over them, which she apparently achieved by lying to them. She used to tell her husbands that they said horrible things about her and women in general while in a drunken state, in order to gain the upper hand in the marital relationship. Alisoun then speaks of her fourth husband, whom she fondly remembers torturing because she felt he robbed her of her youth and beauty: it is suspiciously unclear how he died. Her fifth husband, Jankyn, is the husband that the reader is provided the most information about and whom she recounts as loving the most out of the five, despite their tumultuous relationship. She notes how she first met him at her friend’s home while still married to her fourth husband and then ended up marrying him a month after her previous husband’s death. Alisoun describes her marriage to Jankyn in detail, noting how their relationship was characterized by his desire to control her and her unwillingness to submit. It is only after a physical confrontation, the cause of which is Alisoun’s desecration of Jankyn’s “book of wikked wyves,” that he gives up his quest to control Alisoun. This is symbolized by his returning of her property (which she gave to him out of love). They live in harmony until Jankyn’s death. Thus, the Wife of Bath’s Prologue is one woman’s take on marriage based, as she says at the start, on her own “experience.”

The story is set in the polis known as Cartan Null, where five explorers are preparing to send cloned copies of themselves on a scientific journey into a black hole. As they are about to make the dive a biographer from Earth and his daughter arrive with intentions of writing their story.

London was a dangerous place to live during World War II, and many children were evacuated to Ireland or the United States. Elizabeth White, an only child, is sent to live with her mother's childhood friend and her large and bustling family, the O'Connors, in Ireland. Although the mothers were childhood friends, their relationship has become one-sided with Elizabeth's mother, Violet, rarely corresponding and Aisling's mother, Eileen, remembering their closeness with detailed letters. Violet believes even though Ireland is not as refined as London, it is a safe place for her daughter.

Elizabeth quickly becomes fast friends with Aisling, who is also ten years old. The novel follows these two girls as they grow into teenagers and young women. Aisling is outgoing and bold, while Elizabeth is quiet with all the manners of a well-bred child. Elizabeth is shown a caring, loving family and begins to feel part of a real family, as opposed to the cold environment of her parents' house. After the war ends and Elizabeth returns to London, their friendship continues for decades. They remain in close contact through letters, supporting each other through their marriages. Their lives remain intertwined, each facing her own relationships, successes, and failures.

The Stooges play three sets of identical triplets, born one year apart. All nine brothers lose track of each other after World War II, unaware that they are all living in the same city. One set (Moe, Larry and Joe) is single, one (Max, Louie and Jack) is married, and the other (Morris, Luke and Jeff) is engaged. The brothers can be told apart by their neckwear (the single set wears striped ties, the married wear no ties, and the engaged set wear bow ties).

Trouble brews when the engaged set of brothers decided to celebrate at a local nightclub. Before they arrive, the unmarried set show up, followed by the fiancees of their brothers. The ladies start hugging and kissing the unsuspecting brothers. Within minutes, the wives of the married brothers show up, thinking their husbands are cheating on them. Believing that their fiancees are already married, the girls give the single brothers the engagement rings before the three leave. As soon as the brothers leave, the engaged set shows up and the girls let them have it. When the wives get back to their husbands, who have been cooking all day, they agree to go back to the club to prove they were never there. Naturally, the waiter (Frank Sully) believes that they were there, and when the wives let their husbands have it, the engaged set shows up. After a reunion and introduction, the engaged brothers explain that they were beaten by their fiancees, but did not see the wives. The fiancees then return and see the six brothers; altering seemingly working out the confusion, the girls ask for their rings. When more confusion brews, the unmarried brothers arrive, and give the girls back their rings. The entire group decides to go back to the married sets' house to celebrate the reunion, while the married brothers ask the waiter (who has been knocked unconscious the whole time) for some drinks. The furious waiter then chases the group, and hilarity sets in when the engaged set and then the single set come in; the waiter only sees one set at a time, and assumes that there is just one set of brothers. In the end, the waiter sees all nine brothers simultaneously and hits himself with his cleaver.

The novel is set during the 1943 Allied occupation of the fictional Italian coastal town of Adano (based on the real city of Licata). The main character, Major Victor Joppolo, is the temporary administrator of the town during the occupation and is often referred to by the people of Adano as Mister Major. Joppolo is an idealistic Italian-American who wants to bring justice and compassion to Adano, which has been hardened by the authoritarian Fascist regime of Benito Mussolini.

When Major Joppolo arrives at Adano, he immediately asks the people of the town what they need the most. The first spokesman of the town tells Joppolo that they are in great need of food for some people have not eaten in days. The second spokesman of the town argues that the town's immediate necessity is a new bell. Joppolo is touched by the story of a 700-year-old bell that was taken away from the town by the Fascists. Mussolini had ordered that the bell be removed from the town and be melted to make weapons for the war. The people were greatly attached to the bell. To them, the bell was a source of pride and unity. Joppolo immediately sees the importance of the bell and makes persistent attempts to locate the bell.

In addition to finding the bell, Joppolo spends time trying to supply the town with food and other necessities. He soon discovers that the town has no fish because the fishermen have not gone out in months. When he speaks to Tomasino, the leader of the fishermen, Joppolo finds out that this is because the fisherman were forced to pay 'protection' money to the corrupt Fascist government simply to go out fishing. Joppolo tells Tomasino that he will not have to pay any bribes or extra taxes to the Americans for fishing. At first, Tomasino is convinced that Joppolo is lying to him and that it is some sort of cruel trick. Tomasino hates persons of authority because he believes that they are all power-hungry and corrupt. It takes extensive persuading to convince Tomasino that Joppolo's intentions are good and that his only want is for the people of Adano to have fish.

Joppolo is faced with another problem in which he had to countermand the order of General Marvin in order to do what was best for the town. General Marvin is an army general who happens to pass through Adano. All day his armored car has been slowed by mule carts that are blocking the road. Finally, on the road to Adano, he loses his temper and orders that his men shoot a mule that refuses to move from the center of the road. When General Marvin arrived at Adano, he orders Major Joppolo to keep all mule carts out of the town. Joppolo is disheartened but complies with the order. Immediately, he calls for a meeting with all the officials of the town and tells them of the new order, but also that he is prepared to find a solution. The next day, Joppolo decides that countermanding General Marvin's order is more important than his own position as mayor of the town; therefore he tells the people of Adano that they may bring their carts into the town (among other things, the town has no source of water without the carts).

Later in the novel, Joppolo gains the admiration of U.S. Navy Lieutenant Livingston, who invites Joppolo to come have a drink with some of his Navy buddies. While there, Joppolo tells them of the town's need for a bell. Commander Robertson realizes that they might have exactly the bell that Adano needs, aboard the USS ''Corelli.'' The arrival of the bell to the town coincides with a party that the town is hosting for Joppolo to express their gratitude for all of his great doings. Although the bell has arrived at the town, the engineers say that it will take them until the next morning to install it. At the same time Sergeant Borth, one of Major Joppolo's aides, finds a note from General Marvin that says that Joppolo has been relieved of duty as administrator of Adano because he countermanded General Marvin's order. Sergeant Borth tells Joppolo that he has been relieved from duty while they are at the party and hands Joppolo the order. The next morning, Joppolo leaves Adano, but does not say goodbye to anyone because he does not think he could. As the jeep is driving away, he tells the driver to stop for a moment. They hear the clear sound of a loud bell.

On the last day of the Civil War, O'Meara (Rod Steiger), a Confederate soldier, shoots a Union lieutenant, who is later revealed as named Driscoll (Ralph Meeker). When he sees that Driscoll is not dead, O'Meara takes him to nearby Appomattox, where he learns that General Lee is in the process of surrendering to General Grant. As the doctor (Carleton Young) removes O'Meara's bullet from Driscoll, O'Meara almost shoots Grant, but is stopped by the doctor, who gives him the bullet. When O'Meara complains that he did not kill Driscoll only because the bullet was "warped", the doctor remarks that it is the "last bullet shot in this war" and gives it to O'Meara.

Returning to his home in Virginia, O'Meara rejects the pleas of his mother (Olive Carey) to put aside his hatred and settle down, as she notes the losses that the family and community have suffered in the war. O'Meara, however, refuses to accept the authority of the United States government and proclaims himself a man without a country. He heads west, hoping to join with the Sioux nation in their own wars against the American army.

O'Meara finds travel in strange territory difficult until he meets an aging Oglala scout named Walking Coyote (Jay C. Flippen), who speaks English, and says that he is heading back to his home tribe to die. O'Meara and he travel together, with Walking Coyote teaching the White man the Sioux language and customs. The two, though, are captured by a band of Sioux warriors led by Crazy Wolf (H.M. Wynant), who is about to execute both men when Walking Coyote invokes the right to the "run of the arrow", a ritual that could save the men's lives if they can endure a run marked by arrows flying in their path.

During the run, Walking Coyote collapses and dies, but O'Meara is saved by a group of Sioux women, including Yellow Moccasin (Sara Montiel), who helps him to present himself to the tribe's chief, Blue Buffalo (Charles Bronson), and claim his right to his life for surviving the run. Blue Buffalo gives O'Meara safe haven as he recovers, in part because of their mutual hatred of the Americans. Having fallen in love, O'Meara asks permission to be married with Yellow Moccasin, proclaiming, "In my heart, my nation is Sioux." When O'Meara also points out the similarities between his Christian God and the Indians' Great Spirit, Blue Buffalo agrees and O'Meara becomes an active member of the tribe. The couple adopts a mute orphan boy, Silent Tongue ([https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0587968/?ref_=ttfc_fc_cl_t14 Billy Miller]), as their own son.

When the Sioux leader Red Cloud (Frank de Kova) negotiates an agreement with Army General Allen (Tim McCoy) for the soldiers to build Fort Lincoln within a prescribed area, O'Meara becomes a guide and translator for the soldiers under the command of Captain Clark (Brian Keith). Clark's second in command is the same Lieutenant Driscoll that O'Meara had shot and then saved, and who now shows a passionate hatred of the Indians. O'Meara's own hostility to the "Yankees" is lessened, however, when, during the journey to the fort's site, Silent Tongue nearly perishes in quicksand, but is saved by a soldier who gives his own life in the rescue.

At the agreed-on site for the fort, the soldiers are attacked by Crazy Wolf, who kills Captain Clark and wants to start a war. O'Meara disarms Crazy Wolf, but offers him the "run of the arrow" to spare his own life. Driscoll, however, violates the ritual when he shoots and wounds Crazy Wolf, who is taken back to his tribe by O'Meara. Taking command, Driscoll then has his men move the fort's site to a location that is more strategic, but violates the terms of the agreement with the Sioux. Blue Buffalo prepares to attack the fort, but agrees to let O'Meara attempt to intercede with the soldiers. Driscoll takes O'Meara prisoner and prepares to hang him, when the Indians attack in a brutal battle that kills many of the army troops and destroys the fort. Driscoll is captured and is about to be skinned alive for his violation of Crazy Wolf's run of the arrow, but O'Meara, in an act of mercy, shoots Driscoll with the bullet he had once used before.

Realizing that he is still a man without a country, O'Meara guides the surviving soldiers to Fort Laramie, accompanied by Yellow Moccasin and Silent Tongue. A final written statement on the screen declares, "The end of this story can only be written by you."

''Dog Days of Summer'' opens with adult Philip Walden paying a visit to the unnamed town where he grew up. In a voiceover, he expresses his disgust over the ramshackle, broken down state of things, and, with trepidation, recalls "the summer I unwillingly grew up."

That summer kicked off with the arrival of Eli (Will Patton), as witnessed by preteen Philip (Devon Gearhart) and best friend Jackson (Colin Ford). The two boys stare in awe as Eli tumbles out of his ancient-looking car and invite the townsfolk over to look at his amazing model circus. It is not long before Eli convinces the mayor to pay him to create a scale model of the town for the upcoming bisesquicentennial. Philip and Jackson, both dealing with troubles at home, glom onto Eli, using his old camera to take pictures of the town for Eli to use as inspiration.

Despite its picture-perfect surface, Philip's town is anything but idyllic. His father is a minister, but not exactly the heroic kind—more the philandering kind. Jackson's blind father drinks his life away, mourning the loss of Jackson's mother to a car crash. Both boys are lost in a sea of adult emotions, with neither the maturity nor the resources to cope. As the boys take pictures for Eli, they watch the lives of those they love unraveling around them, and struggle to hang onto their dream of an uncomplicated life where the sun is always high and the river is filled with fish...

The series portrays the Western Police Headquarters Criminal Investigation Division's Sergeant Keisuke Daimon, played by Tetsuya Watari and his subordinates, dubbed the , and their superior, Section Chief Kogure, played by Yujiro Ishihara, as they fight against Tokyo's underworld.

With its flashy, over-the-top explosion scenes, and car stunts, this series gained a reputation as a macho drama. It is representative of the police & detective dramas of the 1980s.

Dick Sand is a fifteen-year-old boy serving on the schooner ''Pilgrim'', a whaler that normally voyages across the Pacific in their efforts to find targets. However, this time, the hunting season has been unsuccessful, and as they plan to return home, four people request passage to Valparaiso: Mrs. Weldon, the wife of the hunting firm's owner; her five-year-old son, Jack; his old nanny, Nan; and her cousin, Bénédict, an entomologist. Without much of a choice, the captain accepts.

Several days into their journey northeast, the ''Pilgrim'' encounters a shipwreck, with only five African-American survivors (Tom, Actéon, Austin, Bat, and Hercules), plus a dog (Dingo), all of whom are brought onto the ship and offered passage to America.

It is as they get closer east that they encounter a whale; the captain and crew decide to hunt it, in an attempt to make some profit off the otherwise failed season. Captain Hull reluctantly leaves Dick responsible for the ship in his absence, while the rest of the crew approaches the whale on a smaller boat. However, while defending itself, the whale destroys the boat, killing the crew and leaving Dick in charge of a ship with no experienced sailors – only the shipwreck survivors are well enough to help him.

However, the ship's cook, Negoro, has sinister plans for the ship. After breaking one of the ship's compasses and leaving them without a measuring device, he places a magnet on the other compass to trick the inexperienced crew into changing their route. In spite of the longer than expected travel, the group perseveres, and finally makes land, although the ''Pilgrim'' is lost. Negoro escapes with Mrs. Weldon's money.

A man named Harris meets the group, assuring them they are on the Bolivian coast, and encouraging them to follow him into the jungle, saying he can lead them to a nearby city. Dick begins to suspect that they are being lied to as they encounter several animals Harris insists are native, but do not seem to be like any he knows. Dick realizes they are in Africa after the group hears a lion's roar and a horrified Tom – who had been enslaved in his youth – finds several implements. From eavesdropping on Harris, Dick further learns that they are in Angola, that Harris is Negoro's partner in crime, and that he was leading the group in to weaken them and make it easier for him to take Tom and the others into slavery.

Dick and Tom's group decides to keep the truth from Mrs. Weldon and her family, knowing that it will cause undue stress in them. Instead, they tell Mrs. Weldon that Harris lied to them, and Dick tries to lead the group to a river, which he hopes will allow them to reach the shore. A great storm leads the group to take refuge in a large ant nest, but the nest becomes flooded; the group barely manages to escape alive. This time, though, they encounter a group of slave traders led by Harris, who takes them prisoner. Only Hercules and Dingo manage to escape, killing several traders and hiding in the thicket to avoid detection. Along with Tom, Bat, Actéon, and Austin, Dick is taken separately from Mrs. Weldon's family, while Nan dies after a forced walk becomes too much for her.

Both groups are taken to the lands of the king of Kazoondé, an old, petty ruler who trades with slave traders – among them Harris, Negoro, and their chief, José Antonio Álvez – for European commodities. Actéon, Austin, Bat, and Tom are sold into slavery. While none of the others can prevent it, Harris decides to taunt Dick by telling him Mrs. Weldon, Jack, and Bénédict have died as well. Dick answers by jumping on Harris and killing him with his own knife. Dick is made prisoner, and made to await his death. That night, however, after drinking too much alcohol, provided by Álvez, the king dies, burning alive after he tries to drink flaming punch. The king's first wife takes over; in the subsequent funeral ceremony, nearly all of the king's wives, along with Dick Sand, are sacrificed.

However, Mrs. Weldon, Jack, and Bénédict are alive, kept prisoner in Álvez's factory. Negoro intends to use them to blackmail Mrs. Weldon's husband into paying him one hundred thousand dollars. Mrs. Weldon rejects Negoro's demand to write a letter to her husband. However, her hopes that David Livingstone – expected to pass by Kazoondé some time soon – will be able to free her and her family, die when the explorer passes away. Defeated, she writes the letter, which Negoro will take to San Francisco. Meanwhile, Bénédict – allowed out of the factory to pursue his passion for entomology – becomes distracted with a mysterious bug, which he cannot see well because the king of Kazoondé took his glasses. This bug leads him out of town and into the jungle, where a large man captures him and takes him away.

It is at this point that the weather suddenly changes – torrential rains submerge the harvests, putting the town at risk of famine. The queen and her ministers have no idea of how to revert this trouble, and none of the local "mgangas" (shamans) are capable of putting a stop to the bad weather, leading the queen to hire a famous mganga living in the north of Angola. This mganga arrives a few days later, and in a ceremony, makes to sacrifice young Jack, before taking him and Mrs. Weldon away... to Dick. The mganga is Hercules, who was also the one to take Bénédict away, and also rescued Dick from drowning. Now reunited, the group takes a canoe downriver, braving several dangers in an attempt to reach the coast. On the way, Dingo leads them to a hut, out of which a tree is marked with the letters SV (the same as on Dingo's collar), a corpse, and a box with a small letter revealing the corpse as Samuel Vernon, a French explorer who was betrayed and murdered by his guide, Negoro – which explains why Dingo constantly growled at the cook. Negoro appears just then, and Dingo kills him, not without dying from a mortal injury caused by Negoro.

The cook, however, is being followed by a group of natives on a canoe. Dick decides to take them on while Hercules gets the rest of the group away. In the fight onboard the canoe, which takes place close to a large waterfall, Dick manages to destroy the canoe's oar and saves himself by using the canoe as protection while the natives die. Reunited with his friends again, the group encounters and joins a caravan of Portuguese traders who are going to the coast, where they take a ship that gets them to San Francisco.

Dick is adopted by the Weldons, who also take Hercules in, thankful for all that he has done. Dick eventually manages to finish his studies, becoming a captain under Mr. Weldon; thanks to his contacts, Mr. Weldon also finds where Tom, Actéon, Austin, and Bat are, freeing them and bringing them to San Francisco, finally reuniting the group after so long a struggle.

The film begins in the city of London, where a 30-year-old man sits in front of a university board of 3 women. Apparently, the subject the man is being assessed in is Psychology of women, so hence the unisexual university board. The man is yet again told he has failed completely in the subject, and as he exits the university he is identified as Cheng (Ekin Cheng) by his colleagues.

Not giving up, Cheng decides to continue with the subject, but at this time, his girlfriend decides to end their relationship. With no females to talk about and understand, he cannot continue with his essay. On top of that, his mother is getting increasingly worried that he will not settle down, and urges him to marry. She introduces him to her friend's daughter Yoyo (Charlene Choi), and tells them it is a good idea to marry. In this modern world, both Yoyo and Cheng sees this as ridiculous, but Cheng's grandmother is 93 years old and she wants Cheng to marry too.

So in the end, Cheng is forced to marry Yoyo, who is 18 at the time. They make a contract that they will divorce within a year and no sexual relationship will occur. Yoyo agrees based on the fact that Cheng is quite wealthy, and she sees it as an opportunity to feed her lifestyle. By chance, Cheng becomes Yoyo's teacher, and she has to hide the relationship from her school and her crush Kelvin.

As life continues slowly, various things occur, and Yoyo slowly finds herself falling in love with Cheng.

Dexter (Stanley Baxter) and Juliet (Sally Smith) Munro are a young newly married couple who move to a run-down country cottage in hopes of escaping from Juliet's overbearing father, Sir Beverly Grant (James Robertson Justice). However, the couple is soon confronted by their new home's battered structure. Juliet's father offers help from a reputable building firm, but this help is refused by Dexter, who wants to remain independent of Juliet's father.

Dexter sees an ad in the local paper and employs Josh (Ronnie Barker) to do the work. The house is finished, although well over budget, but eventually burns down because Juliet's father had changed the fuses from 15 amp to 30 amp, causing the fire. Roddy, their estate agent (and aspiring actor) (Leslie Phillips) saves the day, telling Dexter and Juliet that a motorway is soon to be built on their land, so they can sell at a profit, and gives them the keys to a cottage requiring no work in the adjoining field.

The player assumes the role of the Pursuit Force Commander, assigned with the task of taking down the biggest gangs at large in Capital State: the Raiders, professional pirates from the Deep South; the Syndicate, British bank robbers; and returning from the original ''Pursuit Force'' game, the Warlords and the Convicts. The objective is to eliminate the 'boss' of each gang, using any means necessary.

The game takes place two years after the events of the original game. The wedding of the Commander and his teammate Sarah Hunter is intruded by the Convicts, who have escaped from prison once again to seek revenge on the Pursuit Force. Shortly afterwards, a police chase commences, leading to a fight between the Commander and Billy Wilde atop a stolen fire truck.

Once Billy Wilde is defeated, the Pursuit Force is about to apprehend him. Suddenly, a new police task force called the Viper Squad appears to handle the situation themselves. Realizing they are unable to do much with the Viper Squad, the Pursuit Force now returns to handling cases that came with the arrival of two new gangs: the Raiders and the Syndicate. During a fight against the Raiders and the Warlords, Yuri "The Fury" Andreov, the Warlords' lieutenant, kills Sarah, leaving the Commander in much grief.

The Pursuit Force goes back to piecing together pieces of the puzzle as they rescue nuclear physicist Dr. Pertwee to find out why all the gangs are cooperating. During a mission of ambush on the Syndicate, they find out the Syndicate lieutenant is in fact an MI5 spy named Lucy, adding more to the complication of affairs as she is attempting to find who is carrying the majority of the nuclear weapons. It seems that the Raiders, the Convicts, and the Syndicate are merely delivering the nuclear cargo, as it is the Warlords who intend with their own reasons to launch nukes at Capital City. The leaders of the weaker gangs are summarily defeated, and just as it looks like most of the cases are closed, a mole plants a bomb in the Pursuit Force headquarters, and the resulting explosion injures the Chief.

As the Pursuit Force tries to figure out who is the mole among them, it seems all fingers are pointed at the recruits: Ashley, Preach and Gage. To make matters worse, a new unnamed masked gang begins terrorizing the city. Adding more to the issue, it is only after battling the Warlord General that it is revealed that Viper Squad Commander Decker is the one behind the entire plot. While the Warlords have gone rogue already, Decker plans to start a fascist police state in Capital City and, to be able to do so, he has his Viper Squad do the dirty job by starting a campaign of terror on the innocent civilians of the city. In other words, the masked gang turns out to be the members of the Viper Squad.

The President of the United States is arriving at Capital City for a visit, prompting the Viper Squad to ambush him. When the Pursuit Force comes to escort the President, it is revealed that Ashley is the Viper mole of the Pursuit Force. A battle on a Viper helicopter leads to the death of the mole, but Preach is still questionably missing from the team. However, worse fears are put aside as it is revealed that Preach has been fighting the Viper Squad with the cops until the team reunites. After a fight at the hospital, the demoralized Viper Squad withdraws in their mobile headquarters in an attempt to flee the city, and a final battle against Decker along the streets puts an end to the Viper Squad once and for all.

After the battle, a ceremony in honor of the Pursuit Force for their heroic effort in stopping the Viper Squad is held, but the Chief and the Commander are nowhere to be found. They are shown paying their last respects to Sarah at her grave. The Commander quits the Pursuit Force, leaving his badge and gun behind, but the Chief assures him that he will be back sometime in the future.

The Stooges have lost their jobs. Adding insult to injury, they received a letter from Dad with the news that he requires surgery. To help pay for the operation, the father suggests the boys search for uranium on his mining property. The boys locate the uranium, but run afoul of a load of dynamite. Then, when they are trying to fix the water pump, it starts gushing oil. Joe tries to cork it by sitting on it, but he is sent flying into the air. When he wishes it would stop, it does, much to Moe and Larry's dismay. Joe manages to get the oil started again, and the boys are in the money.

A group of three mobsters Steele, Lomax, and Billy enter a hotel room and await Aubrey, a local man who owes them money. Aubrey arrives with his male lover shortly after, and Lomax shoves a burning cigar down his throat before beating him to death. Aubrey's lover leaps to his death from the 12th-floor window. Afterward, Steele, Lomax, and Billy drive through the countryside. Billy is remorseful for their crime, while Steele and Lomax are indifferent. Steele and Lomax relentlessly terrorize a female clerk, tearing off her blouse before firing a gun above her head and pouring Coca-Cola on her during a stop at a grocery store.

The next day, the three men seek lodging at a remote farmhouse where an impassive young woman, Lisa, lives a solitary existence with her disabled grandfather. She is notably evasive toward the men but agrees to allow them to spend the night when they claim that Billy has fallen ill. When the police arrive searching for the men, Lomax and Steele threaten Lisa with a gun, and she wards the officers away, assuring them she has not seen the criminals. At dinner, Lisa serves the three men a chicken she slaughtered that morning. While the men eat, Lisa attempts to cut herself in the upstairs bathroom but is interrupted by Billy, who knocks on the door.

Lomax attempts to rape Lisa while she sleeps in the middle of the night, but she stops the assault by slashing his neck with a straight razor, killing him. She drags his body to the bathtub and dismembers it with a hatchet. She stuffs Lomax's dismembered body parts into a steamer trunk. The following morning, Billy helps her carry the trunk into the attic, unaware of its contents. When he discovers blood dripping out of it, he opens the lid to find Lomax's body inside. Lisa lies and claims that Steele killed him.

Billy and Lisa go into the woods to talk about the incident away from Steele. She calmly unveils a straight razor, but Billy takes it from her hand, presuming she passed it over to him to arm himself against Steele. Lisa makes Steele a sandwich in the kitchen upon returning to the house. He comments on her physical beauty, to which she does not respond, which enrages him. Steele drags Lisa upstairs to the parlor where her grandfather is watching television, and the two scuffle. She manages to grab a hatchet near the fireplace and kills him with it.

When Billy returns, he finds Steele missing; Lisa claims he was gone when she returned. Lisa prepares tomato soup for Billy and her grandfather in the upstairs parlor. While eating the soup, Billy finds Steele's ring inside his bowl. He watches in horror as Steele's body dislodges from the chimney flue and tumbles out of the fireplace. Lisa pays no attention, quietly humming while feeding her grandfather. Billy flees in horror and runs outside, where he is shot to death by the police, searching for the trio.

The plot is set in Madrid. Julia, a real estate agent, discovers 300 million ₧ in the apartment of a dead man. Unfortunately, the neighbors have been waiting for the man to die so that they can seize the money for themselves.

During Boys' Week at racially integrated North High School, students Steve Smith, Gus Ruffo and Billy Anderson are elected to temporarily hold the city offices of district attorney, judge and chief of police. After Jewish tailor Herman refuses to pay protection money to Louis Garrett, Garrett's gang bombs his store. Herman and the student who was with him survive the blast, but Herman is later murdered by Garrett after he again refuses to pay. Garrett is acquitted of murder charges because he has a perfect alibi. Steve, who had taken the stand during the trial, is humiliated by his experience as a witness because he failed to prove Garrett's guilt. Billy, Gus and Sam Weber decide to investigate for themselves and discover part of a cufflink at the scene of the murder. They break into Garrett's bedroom, but Garrett is tipped off by Morry Dover, a student who is competing with Steve for the affection of Gay Merrick. While at Garrett's club with Gay, Dover introduces her to Toledo, Garrett's thug. Garrett shoots Billy, killing him, and frames Gus for the murder and robbery. After the funeral, Steve blames Gay for telling Dover about the plan to break into Garrett's apartment. He gathers all the student body presidents from neighboring high schools and formulates a plan to arrest Garrett. With the help of hundreds of students, Steve captures Garrett and takes him to a local brickyard for a secret trial. In the meantime, Gay and Dover, in an attempt to redeem themselves, capture Toledo's attentions, although Gay is forced to seduce him. Garrett confesses after the students suspend him over a pit filled with rats, and the mob marches him to city hall, with the assistance of the police, to get a witnessed confession. Meanwhile, the real "big" boss of Garrett's protection racket leaves town. After eluding Toledo, Gay arrives to witness Garrett's arrest. Garrett signs the confession; Gus is released; and Steve, Gay and Dover sit in a car she temporarily borrowed to get there, listening to a broadcast about themselves until a police officer arrests them for being in a stolen vehicle.

A group of elegant monster dogs in top hats, tails, and bustle skirts become instant celebrities when they come to New York in 2008. Refugees from a town whose residents had been utterly isolated for a hundred years, the dogs retain the nineteenth-century Germanic culture of the humans who created them. They are wealthy and glamorous and seem to lead charmed lives – but they find adjusting to the modern world difficult, and when a young woman, Cleo Pira, befriends them, she discovers that a strange, incurable illness threatens them all with extinction. When the dogs construct their dream home, a fantastic castle on the Lower East Side, and barricade themselves inside, Cleo finds herself one of the few human witnesses to a mad, lavish party that may prove to be the final act in the drama of the lives of the monster dogs.

The Merrick gang pull off a diamond robbery and murder a police officer investigating their crimes. A paper with the cryptic writing "AD 1935" is found on the murdered officer's body. Outsmarted by the gang, the police assistant commissioner and Inspector Cardby decide to have Pete Borden, a new recruit who the gang would not know, go undercover and join the gang.

When he enters a casino, Natascha is sent to check him out. He pretends to be looking for a fence to sell his stolen jewelry. Reassured, the gang recruits him. Merrick (the gang's mysterious leader who never lets anyone see him face to face) first assigns him to check on Delaney, a crooked bookie. Pete then meets Newell, a lawyer. The gang then installs Pete in a flat; he tosses a note containing the address to a policeman when no one is looking. Two police detectives let the flat opposite. One of them is deaf, and equipped with binoculars, can read Pete's lips when he silently mouths what he has discovered.

The gang plans to steal the necklace of prominent socialite Lady Mead at a party she is giving. Pete goes to the party with Natascha, while the police attend the party undercover, and send Lady Sybil, a society gossip columnist, to observe. At the party, Pete runs into Conway Addison, a lawyer. The lights go out, and when it goes back on, Natascha has escaped with the stolen necklace. Inspector Cardby pretends to arrest Pete, but lets him go once they are outside.

Natascha later visits Pete and tells him that she wants to leave the gang, but one of the crooks is eavesdropping. She claims Merrick sent her to test Pete. The gangster checks with his boss and finds out she was lying.

With his plans being tipped off to the police, Merrick soon suspects Pete. This is confirmed when the police notify the next target, who notifies Merrick. The mastermind pretends to accept Pete's proposal for a robbery. However, while the police are waiting for them there, the gang actually strike elsewhere.

Pete is taken to an isolated country house. Merrick finally lets Pete see him, as he intends to kill the policeman; it is Conway Addison. Addison explains he took to crime after becoming bored with his job. While Natascha is being taken to the same place, she causes the car to go off the road. She then tells a police officer where she was heading. To avoid tipping Merrick off, she shows up at the house. Merrick, having decided to retire, tries to gas the whole gang, Pete and Natasha to cover his tracks. However, Pete manages to break out of the locked room, and the police arrive in time to shoot Conway and arrest the rest of his gang.

Part One: Barber's Boy

It is the year 1020. Rob Cole is the eldest of many children. His father is a Joiner in the Guild of Carpenters in London. His mother, Agnes Cole, is his father's wife. Robert has a particular Gift: he can sense when someone is going to die. When his mother and father both die, the Cole household is parceled out to various neighbors and friends. The Cole children are parceled out likewise.

Rob is taken by the only one who wants him: a traveling barber-surgeon who goes only by the name of Barber. He is a fleshy man with fleshy appetites and a very great zest for life. Over the next years, he takes Rob as his apprentice. He teaches the boy how to juggle, to draw caricatures, to tell stories, to entertain a crowd, to sell the nostrum on which they make their living. He also teaches the boy all he knows of medicine—which is little.

When Barber dies, Rob takes over his traveling medicine show. But he is restless, desiring to know more about the ways of medicine. He meets a Jewish physician in Malmesbury who tells him of schools (Madrasahs) in Córdoba, Toledo, even in far-away Persia, where the medical and scientific learning of the Muslims is taught. Unfortunately, besides being worlds away, the schools do not admit Christians—and even if they did, no country in Christendom would allow a person with such learning to return.

In a moment of epiphany, Rob decides that he shall take on the guise of a Jewish student, so that he can travel to Persia and study at the feet of Avicenna (Ibn Sina). This decision carries its own risks: while Jews generally were allowed more freedom in the Muslim world than they were in Christian Europe, Rob would still have to cross Europe, where Jews were routinely faced with blood libels, expulsions, forced conversions and killings.

Part Two: The Long Journey

Rob travels, as a Christian, from London throughout Europe to Constantinople. Here he becomes Jewish in appearance, and travels eastwards with a group of Jewish merchants, learning their ways as best he can.

He also meets a young woman called Mary Margaret Cullen, who was traveling with her father, in search of superior Turkish sheep. The pair falls in love and become occasional lovers, but as Mary, by her father, proposes marriage to Rob, he dismisses her, saying that he needed to study medicine and telling her all his plans. The Cullens leave the caravan and Rob continues his journey.

Part Three: Isfahan

Rob arrives in the city of Isfahan, in the heart of the Abbasid Caliphate (in present-day Iran), and tries to enter into the school of physicians there. He is not allowed access. He struggles to survive in the city, homeless, while searching for a way to enter the school.

Part Four: The Maristan

A chance encounter with the Shah of Persia opens for Rob the door to the school of physicians (Bimaristan). Here he begins the study of medicine—the first formal study he has ever had in his life. At the same time he immerses himself in the life of a Persian Jew.

Part Five: The War Surgeon

Comparable to a surgical residency or similar term of practicum, Rob goes to a war-torn (and plague-torn) land to practice his medical knowledge. His journeys with the Shah's armies take him as far as India, where he encounters elephants, spices, and Wootz steel. He makes friends among the Muslim students of the school.

Upon his return he encounters Mary, who lost her father. As she has nowhere to go, and once they seem to love each other, although she is Christian, they form a liaison, and are secretly wed. Mary doesn't deal well with the new city, as she is neglected for being red-haired. Regardless of all, Mary gets pregnant and has the child while Rob is in India, acting as a doctor and for the first time touching a corpse's heart.

Part Six: Hakim

He is passed as a physician and helps to instruct new physicians in the school. Rob and Mary's son is named Robert James Cole. She, at one point, is visited by Ibn Sina, who tells her that the Shah requested her presence, otherwise he'd kill Rob. Mary understood that it meant that the Shah intended to have sex with her, and goes to him. After having sex with Shah, she gets pregnant. When the child, named Thomas Scott, is born, the Shah sends him a rug, and Rob realizes that Thomas is not his son. Mary, however, tells him that she kept them both alive, and leaves his bedroom. However, when Mary beats him for thinking that he had been with prostitutes, the two are able to tell the truth and reconcile themselves.

Soon afterwards, Avicenna dies, and Isfahan is conquered by a rival king. Rob, his wife and children flee the rape and pillage and make their laborious way back to England.

Part Seven: The Returned

Rob struggles to locate his lost brothers and sisters, likewise to make his place amongst the terribly ignorant physicians of London. Despairing, he returns with his wife and family to Scotland, where he acts as physician to his wife's people high in the hills.

Madame Berthe, a newly widowed 70-year-old miser, has lived a sheltered life married to her husband for some 60 years. She determines to venture into the modern world and have as much fun as possible, and in doing so, finds that she loves it. She blows her life savings, much to the disapproval of the young people around her.

Outside the Jingling Bros. Circus (a parody of the Ringling Bros. Circus), a hospital ward clerk hauls out the lion in a wheelchair who has had a nervous breakdown. Watching this, a mouse expresses his disappointment about the lion being "mouse shocked" and then tells about what happened before.

We are then given a flashback about the lion being king of the beasts, because all the animals are scared to death of the lion, who roars and gets everyone out of his sight. His loud roar frightens every last animal, including a gorilla who screams, shrinks down in size, and runs off. Then one day, the lion meets a mouse, who says "Boo" and makes the lion double take and feel scared and scream two times at him. He hides up a tree, feels frightened, and comes down from the tree, but stands up, and roars at the mouse, who unfortunately proves to be tougher than him, and eventually walks away, but mistakenly steps into the wrong direction by going into the lion's mouth.

The lion succeeds in catching the mouse, and tries to eat him to hopefully kill him, but is so distracted of trying to do so, that he doesn't realize in the next moment, that when he fails to notice that he is missing a tooth, which fell out of his mouth from a gum between the rest of his teeth, that the mouse is hiding in after he inadvertently walks into the wrong direction into the lion's mouth, it is too late for the lion to see his missing tooth. The mouse then gets out of the lion's mouth and rolls out his tongue like a window shade. The lion grabs the mouse with his tongue, and pulls him in, and tries swallowing him while the mouse finds himself inside the stomach. As he finds two bones lying inside, the mouse plays the ribs inside the lion like an xylophone. The lion tries to kill the mouse by lighting a bomb with a match, putting it in his mouth, and swallowing it. When the mouse sees the bomb inside the lion's stomach and screams, he escapes the lion's mouth again and flees from him. The lion feels smug until he realizes the bomb is still inside him, which makes him scream for help, and blows up, but can't blow him up when he survives the explosion and gets his tail bitten by the mouse, who grabs and bites the lion's tail and angers him even more.

While the lion looks for the mouse, the mouse sneaks inside his head and then pulls out firecrackers, which blow up. The mouse cooks the lion's tail, causing him to roar in pain, and when he goes to the lake to cool it down, the mouse pulls out a safety pin to poke on his rear.

The lion then tries to hide from the mouse, but finds him in the following areas:

• On top of a palm tree
• Under a rock to hopefully dodge the mouse, only to find him in it
• In an abandoned hut
• In a gun that the lion fires to shoot the mouse
• In a bed where the mouth lives in
• In a reflection of the mirror
• In a bottle of whiskey, that he tries to drink

The mouse finally peeves the lion in different ways by hurting his feet, blowing a toot in his ears, biting his nose, and kicking him out, and when he is now a nervous wreck, the lion runs out of the hut and around the jungle.

After the story, the mouse wonders how anyone could be afraid of a mouse when another mouse shows up and says "Boo." and despite being a mouse himself, he says 'A mouse.' and screams and runs off like the lion did.

Taking place some months after the events described in ''When Gravity Fails'', Marîd Audran, once a small-time hustler on the streets of the decadent Budayeen, finds himself as one of the lieutenants of Friedlander Bey or "Papa", the most influential man in the city. With his independence taken from him and being stationed as a liaison between Bey and the local law enforcement under the supervision of Sergeant Hajjar, Audran is forced to pair up with his colleague Jirji Shaknahyi in order to track down yet another serial killer who likes to remove some of the internal organs of their victims.

After World War II, German Hans Müller is one of a shipload of Jewish refugees who disembark at Haifa in 1949 and are placed in a refugee camp. Like many other concentration camp survivors, Hans has psychological problems, including survivor guilt. At one point, he mistakes a woman and some children for his murdered family.

At the first opportunity, he sneaks out of the refugee camp and goes into the city. When he spots a policeman, Hans panics and reacts by fleeing. The policeman chases him down and begins questioning him. Hans becomes very agitated and attacks, leaving the man unconscious in the street. Hans flees and ends up sleeping in the countryside, where he is found by a teenage orphan Sabra, Yehoshua "Josh" Bresler. Hans pretends to be an eccentric American, out to see Israel firsthand. Josh offers to be his guide. During their journey, Hans reveals that he was a professional juggler; Josh persuades him to pass on his knowledge. Meanwhile, police detective Karni sets out to track the fugitive down.

On their journey, Josh is injured when they wander into a minefield near the kibbutz. He is taken to the medical centre in the kibbutz; he has only broken his leg. While Josh recovers, Hans becomes acquainted with Ya'el, one of the residents. They are attracted to each other, but he at first strongly resists her attempt to persuade him to remain at the kibbutz. He reveals to her that he had ignored warnings from friends to flee Nazi Germany before it was too late, making the fatal mistake of counting on his fame and popularity to protect his family. Gradually, however, he begins to settle in.

Karni finally tracks Hans down and tries to take him into custody. Hans panics again and barricades himself in Ya'el's room with her rifle, but Ya'el and Karni get him to admit he needs help and to give himself up.

Nicol, a 14-year-old genius inventor and his girlfriend Stella, manage to invent a dimensional space transporting device. However, their research attracts the attention of Gyumao (Cow Demon), a ruthless dictator of a military empire with plans for space conquest. The Demon offers to buy the device from the couple and act out his nefarious plans. Wanting to preserve the peace of his world, Nicol turns down the offer, denying Gyumao the means to accomplish his goal. The Demon, furious, dispatches his soldiers to kidnap Stella and steal the device from Nicol's laboratory. The soldiers ambush Nicol and Stella during a date, overpowering Nicol and carrying off his girlfriend. Defeated, Nicol returns to his laboratory only to find the device gone. Fortunately, the transporter was not yet complete, lacking a vital part which was still in Nicol's possession. Gyumao hopes to exchange Stella with the indispensable part he needs, but Nicol has other plans in mind. Against Gyumao's orders, he travels to Gyumao's Dairasu star system to free his lover himself. A disapproving Gyumao shatters the device into pieces and scatters those fragments across seven locations. Nicol must then travel across Dairasu, collect the fragments, repair the transporter, and liberate his girlfriend.

Sylar awakens on an island beach, disoriented, next to a woman named Michelle. She explains that she is Candice Wilmer in disguise, and that she is creating the illusion of a tropical paradise while he is recovering from surgeries following his injury. Sylar is dubious, so she dispels the illusion to reveal that they are actually in a small shack in the middle of a forest. While recovering, Sylar discovers that he cannot use any of the abilities he acquired. Michelle explains that his powers will return, with her assistance, but that his wound must heal first.

Peter Petrelli tries to figure out how to control his powers, aiding Ricky and his gang in the theft of a large amount of cash. Ricky's brother Will, however, turns traitor and holds Ricky at gunpoint, demanding the money. He shoots Peter twice when he tries to intervene and continues to demand the money, but is surprised when Peter quickly regenerates and uses telekinesis to hold him against the wall, choking him. Due to Caitlin's pleadings, Peter stops short of killing Will.

Maya and Alejandro are still on the run. It's the next day and the two are in an active search to gain a car to get them to the border. When Alejandro tries to break into a random parked car, he and his sister are caught by the police, and the two make a beeline for the alleyway. Maya manages to evade the police by getting over the chainlink fence, but her brother isn't so fortunate; he gets arrested and brought down to the station. While at the station, Alejandro sees on a wanted poster that he and his sister are wanted for homicide.

Noah explains to Mohinder he'll protect the latter as long as he's alive. After seeing the subject of the eighth painting, Mohinder takes a snapshot of it with his cellphone and sends it to him, remarking "that's what I'm afraid of." When the painting is shown, it appears to depict Noah's bloody corpse, complete with a bullet hole through his eye. In the background, Claire is embracing and kissing a shadowed figure. Quickly shrinking the image down when Claire comes in the room, he greets her briefly. After she leaves, the episode ends with Noah still contemplating the ominous painting on his computer screen.

A key aim of the show was to get young children excited about reading, as its tagline is "Books are moo-ve-lous" and the phrase features in the show's theme song, as well.

Each episode was split into two shorts. In each short Wilbur and his friends would encounter a problem. After this, Wilbur gets a wiggling sensation which prompts him to read a book that guides the group in solving their problem. The book in question is usually wholly made up for the purposes of the show and features Wilbur and his friends. After the group discusses their problem and its resolution, they read through the short book a second time, and clips show children reciting the line "Once upon a time" at the beginning and saying "The end" at the end of the story.

Ann Collins, a painter, and her husband, David, are expecting a baby. What confuses the couple is that David has had a vasectomy, and Ann is not supposed to be pregnant. Even though David suspects that Ann has been unfaithful to him, he stays with her. Because Ann had pregnancy troubles in the past that put her health at risk, David wants Ann to get an abortion, but every time the two try to go to get the procedure done, Ann experiences extreme labor pains and is unable to go through with the procedure.

Throughout the course of her pregnancy, Ann has strange cravings for black coffee, raw meat and massive amounts of salt. She also exhibits personality and physical changes, including wanting to read books constantly, enduring freezing temperatures, developing acutely sensitive hearing, taking long and strenuous walks in the mountains, an inability to listen to other people, and healing her injuries within minutes.

David wants Bob, a hypnotist, to see if he can obtain any information about why Ann is acting so strangely. Ann does not say a word, even when she is hypnotized. One day when Ann comes home from one of her walks in the mountains, she finds David, Bob, and Ann's friend Phyllis, waiting for her. She quickly drinks boiling hot coffee to catch her breath, and David notices that the coffee makes her drunk. Bob tries hypnotizing Ann again, and an extraterrestrial being starts speaking through her. The being says that his father banished him to this warm planet (Earth) and that he wants to go back to his home where it is "cool". He says that Ann was impregnated while she was painting in the mountains. After the alien stops talking through Ann, she finally falls asleep.

During the night, Ann sneaks out to an abandoned house in the woods, where she gives birth. She walks into the woods, where many other women are also walking with their alien babies. David looks at one of Ann's paintings, depicting the alien being's home planet. The painting starts to smoke. David looks out the window and screams Ann's name, as he watches a spacecraft take Ann to the alien's home planet.

12-year-old Santiago Cruz, a Kekcíhi ''campesinos indigenous'', escapes from his destroyed village, Dos Vías, Guatemala, on May 18, 1981, with his four-year-old sister, Angelina, at midnight, after his mother pushes her into his arms and wakes him up. His entire family has been killed by soldiers, and he runs as far away as he can. His Uncle Ramos gives him a map and compass and instructs him to sail away in his cayuco to the United States, to escape the civil war and hopefully find a better life. The boy and his sister (Angelina) find a horse and ride it into the nearby village of Los Santos, where everyone has also been killed and burned. They continue into a city and sneak a ride in a maize truck. They then sneak a ride on the back of a manure truck that a drunk rebel soldier is driving. To keep the truck from crashing because of the intoxicated driver, they put horse dung into the gas tank and escape when the truck breaks down. They then walk down to Lake Izabal and sleep at their Uncle Ramos's house. In the morning, Enrique, a friend of Ramos, finds the children. They tell him what has happened, and Enrique and his wife, Silvia, give them food for the journey. Enrique tells them everything he knows about the dangerous journey, and ride in the cayuco with them until they reach the opening to the sea. At the entrance to El Golfete, they sneak beside the shore past a military boat. Enrique leaves and Santiago and his sister sail into the ocean. They have little food, and soon go hungry and thirsty, with itches and blisters all over their bodies. They encounter tourists, pirates, many violent storms, and a shark. They encounter a river of garbage, which Santiago uses to make an amateur windshield among other spare parts to fix his cayuco, and finds Angelina a broken plastic doll. They once nearly sailed into an inland bay on the border of Belize and Mexico, and then sailed into the open Gulf. Santiago makes notches in his cayuco every dawn with his machete, as it should only take twenty to make it. They attempt to catch fish, but often fail or have to steal fish from fishing nets from a ship. They encounter a large storm, which causes the mast to fall directly on Santiago's head, and makes them lose the water pail. They experience diarrhea and sores, and almost lose hope of making the journey. They had expected to arrive in twenty days, but several more pass with no land in sight. One day, a tropical storm's eye passes over them, and they lose everything except the cayuco. As the storm passes, they land in a large city in Florida and are taken to a hospital. They tell a nurse who can speak Spanish about their journey. They are bandaged, Angelina's doll is fixed, and they are shown on television and are fed food. They are told they will not be deported because they are children and the media has widely publicized how they have suffered so much.

Norman Puckle (Norman Wisdom), a well-meaning but clumsy grocer's assistant, cannot seem to do anything right. After being rejected by Marlene, the love of his life, he attempts suicide, but cannot even do that. He is saved from jumping off a cliff at "Lover's Leap" by a Royal Navy petty officer. He persuades Puckle to join the Royal Navy, where he will meet "lots of girls".

Life in the Navy proves not to be as rosy as described, and Puckle fails at every task during basic training. But despite this, he is regarded by the Admiral in charge of a rocket project to be a "typical average British sailor", and chosen to be the first man to fly into outer space in an experimental rocket.

Puckle fails at every stage of his training and is court-martialled, but successfully pleads for a final chance to prove himself. By accident, he takes the place of an astronaut and leaves Earth in the rocket. Equally by accident, he manages to return. He crash-lands on a Pacific island and ends up in the arms of a compliant local maiden.

The story begins at the Suarez home, where Betty is sitting down at 2AM eating empanadas. As she goes to get the milk from the refrigerator, she is spooked by seeing the head of Bradford Meade inside. After she closes the door, Bradford is standing behind her and tells her that he is her subconscious and that he asks her why she turned down Daniel's offer to return to work. Betty tells him that she does not think she is ready to return. He then disappears after he tells her to think about what Bradford told her before he died.

The following day at the burial of Bradford at the cemetery, Claire attends on day release from prison. Amanda ponders about whether she would be next in line to take over at the company, but Sheila, who arrived late and hears this exchange, tells her that two years as a receptionist does not qualify. As Betty is delivering a eulogy, Wilhelmina and Marc show up, hoping to make her last remarks. After Wilhelmina comments about Claire's prison uniform, Claire trips Wilhelmina, causing her to fall into Bradford's empty grave. Wilhelmina is fired by unanimous decision of Claire, Daniel, and Alexis.

Fumed by her termination from the company, Wilhelmina returns to her office at ''MODE'' to remove her belongings but before she goes, she deploys a computer virus called "Medusa X", featuring a motif similar to the Versace logo, but with Wilhelmina's head replacing Medusa's, that removes all files pertaining to the upcoming issue. When Henry notices the virus in his office, he calls Betty, who is helping the family plan their annual Christmas tree decorations at home, to inform her about what happened. As Betty returns to ''MODE'' to help resolve the issue for the night, she gives directions to Hilda, Justin and Ignacio on how it is normally decorated, although Hilda and Justin think that they should make changes to the tradition. However, the decoration goes awry when Hilda trips on a string of Christmas tree lights, knocking the tree over and setting it on fire.

Daniel and Betty lead the effort to resurrect the issue with an all-nighter work session. But before they can start on the emergency issue, Wilhelmina and Marc interrupt the work session to announce their new magazine, ''SLATER'', and recruit many ''MODE'' staff. As Wilhelmina leaves, Marc tempts Amanda to defect, but she turns him down, thus ending their partnership.

In the all-night chaos, Daniel places Sheila in charge and in turn finds replacements to do new articles, with Henry being tasked with writing a food column and Amanda volunteering to write the "Hot or Not" section. Unfortunately Sheila is not happy about having Amanda on the team and Amanda struggles to impress her. When Amanda sees a pizza delivery guy's uniform, she finally comes up with an article, but as she shows off her design, Sheila scraps Amanda's article and condescendingly tells her that she should not try to live up to Fey Sommers' name. At the love dungeon, a distressed Amanda tells Christina that she hopes that when she finds her father, maybe she will know what type of talent that she might actually have.

Alexis takes on the task of getting the printers to extend their hours, but as she goes to the printer's office in an effort to charm him, she discovers that he has left the business to a dwarf-like successor, Harvey Milfree. After the two bicker and bluff all night, they end up discussing how both are "different" and how their fathers treated them. Once the conversation is over, Harvey agrees to keep the presses open, much to Alexis' delight.

The deleted magazine issue also erased the cover spread featuring Cameron Ashlock, a famous actress and singer who has been making a lot of headlines. When Daniel decides that he is going to break her out of rehab, Betty tags along. At the centre where Cameron is staying, the two find her among candles and chanting and after much persuasion, they succeed in convincing her to do a reshoot. Unfortunately, that does not go as well as planned as Cameron goes ballistic on the set and demands alcohol, which Betty thinks is a bad idea. Daniel goes to confront Cameron but cannot bring himself to give her a drink, causing her to lose control and get escorted off the shoot. Unable to reshoot the cover, Daniel opts for a solid black cover in tribute of the late Bradford Meade with an "In Remembrance of Bradford Meade" theme. Betty and the staff are impressed with this cover as a way to honour the late publisher. Betty then tells Daniel that she will return to ''MODE'' permanently, and as Daniel walks away, she sees the spirit of Bradford for one last time by sending him to his final "resting place".

Later, at Wilhelmina's apartment, she tells the defected ''MODE'' staff that she will have the new magazine up and running soon. After they leave, Wilhelmina meets with her father, Senator Slater, to ask for a loan to get her new magazine established. He refuses, saying that the daughter he once knew and loved as Wanda has changed into someone else. After he leaves, Wilhelmina and Marc ponder other options on how to get the financial backing.

Finally, knowing that Christmas is a time for family, Betty buys a pink artificial tree to replace the burned-up one. As they finally decorate the new tree, Ignacio places the angel on top as a remembrance of his late wife.

Story

''Like Life'''s story revolves around Kazuma Kōsaka who had to move into his aunt's house due to his parents always being too busy. He lives next door to his childhood friend Yumi Miyasato, and the two of them walk together to which they both attend. One day at school, many strange transfer students arrive at school: all over town, objects start turning into girls, though they still retain some form of what they used to be on their person. Kazuma's mobile phone is no exception and turns into a girl he names Himeko Kōsaka. The concept of giving moe traits to inanimate objects is known as moe anthropomorphism.

Characters

Main characters

; :Kazuma is the protagonist of the story and is the person the player assumes. Both of his parents are working overseas, so he came to live at his aunt's house. He is almost never in contact with his parents, which is in stark contrast to the kind environment he finds himself in with his friends.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Yumi is Kazuma's childhood friend who lives next door to him. She is always cheerful, and is a natural airhead. She often refers to Kazuma as "Kazu-kun". Every morning, she climbs over the veranda between her home and Kazuma's and enters into his room to wake him up for school. She comes over to his house so often, it is almost as if she lives there, and she is treated like a member of Kazuma's family. She always wears a pea-green ribbon in her hair. She is a health-food nut and is extremely popular at her school; so much so that she even has bodyguards to protect her from the constant attention.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Himeko was, at one point, Kazuma's favorite mobile phone, but one day she transformed into a beautiful young high school girl. At first, Kazuma did not believe that she used to be his cell phone for he did not witness the transformation. In fact, the first time he saw her was in his room sitting down wearing a wedding dress, which is what she originally was wearing after her transformation. Somehow, she gets admitted into Kazuma's school and gets into his class. She retains a bit of her former self on her appearance: there is one cell phone strap above each of her ears, and the antenna is still visible behind her left ear. Despite the transformation, Himeko still functions as a cell phone. For example, every time Kazuma gets a text message, she sings the game's opening song "GirlsLife" to signify this, but since it happens often, she tends to be out of breath. If her battery is running low, she will start to appear as if she is sick, and must recharge via connecting a recharger to her power source located on her chest. This way, she does not have to eat like the other objects that turned into girls.

; :''Voiced by:'' Shino Kujō (Windows), Yūko Gotō (PS2) :Tsubaki is a girl who transfers into Kazuma's class; she has a weak body, but a strong-willed personality. When she first found out about Himeko living in Kazuma's house, she hinted at the fact that he may be a lolicon. Her sickness is not stated, but she constantly coughs up blood, possibly due to a lung hemorrhage. She enjoys acting superior to others she deems to be unworthy of her time. Sometimes she behaves differently around Kazuma, likening her to a tsundere character type.

:She is in fact not the real Tsubaki, but merely a personification of the real Tsubaki as a transfer student into Kazuma's school; she is presented as an older identical twin of the real Tsubaki. The fake Tsubaki constantly worries about her real counterpart and looks after her. This is because the real Tsubaki has been hospitalized for a long time, and since the hospital bills are so expensive, a rift has built up between Tsubaki and her parents, leaving her more or less alone. Years before, she attended the same school as Kazuma and admired him from afar, but she was never able to tell him how she felt since she became hospitalized.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Atori is another girl who transfers into Kazuma's class; she is introverted, always tends to be nervous, and constantly falls down because of it. After her beloved grandmother died, she closed herself off and became introverted. She has a natural gift when it comes to cooking. She generally attempts to avoid physical contact with others, but is close with any of the objects that turned into girls. Due to this, she was early on able to become friends with Himeko and Tsubaki. She never goes without wearing earmuffs to hide her red-colored ears. It is later revealed in the visual fanbook that she is Sōya's younger sister.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Kizuna is yet another girl who transfers into Kazuma's class. She is a wealthy girl, who is in fact supposed to be a first year high school student, but used her money to skip a grade and get into Kazuma's class. She first met Kazuma as a child, and ever since has adored him. She is not only selfish, but she hates to lose, and tries to use her standing in society for her own benefit. She even went as far as to buy the school she attends and brought her own desk from her home; she mainly has no common sense about how the world works.

Supporting characters

; :''Voiced by:'' Mai Goto (Windows), Eriko Fujimaki (PS2) :Tae is Kazuma's aunt; she took him in while his parents are overseas. She loves to play dirty tricks on Makoto in an attempt to allure him with her feminine charm, though she also acts like a normal guardian. She has a youthful appearance and personality, so when she is called , she gets really angry and has even gone so far as to throw knives at Makoto for doing so. After her refrigerator and vacuum cleaner turned into girls, she became their godparent. She is usually hard to figure out, and is readily aberrant.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Ichigeki is Kazuma's delinquent friend who is in love with Yumi. His family owns a temple, to which he is the heir. Outwardly, he appears to be a typical gang member, though he wears a wig to make himself took tougher. His personality changes when around girls he likes, and is always trying to go after Yumi. He is the leader of the bodyguard squad that protects Yumi while at school. His dream is to one day be a shōjo manga author. In fact, Tsubaki gives him high praise for his artistic ability.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Shōko is Kazuma's homeroom teacher. She is typically unhappy, and was flustered when objects in town started turning into girls. In the classroom, she lacks confidence and often asks her mother for help after school.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Itsuki is one of the maids at Kizuna's mansion. She has a stern personality towards Kizuna, and has the tendency to shun others. At Kizuna's mansion, there are other maids, but they are all identical to Itsuki. This came about when various objects in the mansion all transformed into Itsuki.

; :''Voiced by:'' Unknown (PC), Eiji Miyashita (PS2) :Sōya is a man who constantly smokes cigarettes, has silver hair, and has sanpaku-eyes. He is Mitsuba's owner, and always keeps her nearby. He is Atori's older brother.

Former objects

; : (Windows/PS2) :Okiru is Kazuma's former alarm clock. She has a rude personality, and will wake Kazuma up by hitting him with one of her hammers.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Akari is Kazuma's former desk lamp. Her light source comes from under the skirt she wears, and must flip the skirt to illuminate anything; due to this, she is extremely embarrassed.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Hyoko is Kazuma's former refrigerator. She enjoys ridiculing Kazuma. Originally she went unsold, but after she transformed, she thanked Tae for buying her. She appears in the fandisc ''Like Life Hyokoban'' as the main heroine.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Tōka is a former post box on a street corner in town. While originally being eighty years old, she looks like a youthful girl, but still retains the wisdom of someone in their late years.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Keshiko is the former blackboard eraser from Kazuma's class. She makes a small cameo appearance in the ''_Summer'' original video animation mini-series.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Kōmon is the former front school gate of Kazuma's school. She often cites the fault of others.

; :''Voiced by:'' Mai Gotō (Windows), Eriko Fujimaki (PS2) :Mako is the former coffee pot in the teacher's lounge at Kazuma's school; she was originally Shōko Usui's. At first she is terrible at making coffee, but after she makes friends with Shōko, she gets better at the task.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Nobuko is a former traffic light. She has a strong sense of justice, and will call those who run red lights evil.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Mitsuba is a former sex doll owned by Sōya, who she is almost always together with. In the PlayStation 2 version, she was changed to be a former child's doll.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Kiyori is Tae's former long-time favorite vacuum cleaner. The vacuum cleaner hose is unified with her single-braided hair. She has the habit of belittling herself after she makes a mistake. When a room gets dirty, she would rather choose suicide than not clean it.

; : (Windows/PS2) :Kagari is a former Maneki Neko owned by Atori's family. She was bought around eighty years ago, and was once owned by Atori's late grandmother. She is content with living a solitary life and acting as Atori's guardian. Kagari always is at odds with Kazuma.

The book opens with Jane Margaux and her imaginary friend, Michael, spending a Sunday at the St. Regis Plaza in New York City eating ice cream together, which they do every Sunday. Michael is an imaginary friend who is randomly assigned to children who need extra support and guidance. However, he is called away from the children when they become nine years old, at which point they will forget about the existence of their "friend" by the next day of their ninth birthday. Jane needs extra attention because her mother, Vivienne Margaux, a Broadway producer, spends too much time with work and shopping for her many new husbands, but spends every Sunday at Tiffany's with her daughter.

The next day is Jane's 9th birthday party, which coincides with her mother's production's opening night. The cast and crew sing "happy birthday" to her, but her mother forgets about her and her father leaves quickly with his girlfriend. Jane is comforted by Michael, who tells her he must leave now that she is nine. He promises her that she will forget about him.

Twenty-one years later, Jane, who is now in her thirties and has not yet forgotten about Michael, lives in New York and works closely with her mother, who is now very controlling. Jane has produced a small, low-budget play called "Thank Heaven", based on her childhood with Michael. The play was an overnight hit, and now Jane is in the works of making a movie based on it. Her boyfriend, Hugh McGrath (who played Michael on Broadway), wants the leading role in the movie.

Jane isn't happy in life, though. She knows she is too dependent on her mother, and she is unwilling to face up to the fact that Hugh is an egomaniacal jerk. One night, he stands her up for a dinner date, and she returns home rejected and hurt. Michael, now on break from being an imaginary friend, catches sight of her walking into her hotel and instantly recognizes her. It's the first time he has ever seen one of his "kids" as an adult. He begins following her to work and home, but she never catches sight of him.

A day later at work, Hugh McGrath comes and apologizes to Jane for missing dinner. Jane realizes he is just using her to get the film role. Vivienne thinks that the role would be good for him, and she pushes Jane to accept his apology. Later, Vivienne infiltrates a "Thank Heaven" meeting and controls all aspects of production, despite the fact it is Jane's project. Jane goes out to dinner with Hugh, who flirts with another woman while Michael watches, unseen.

A few days later, Hugh and Jane go to a museum exhibit together, and she learns that he set up the whole date as a way to con her into giving him the part. When she refuses, he yells at her and leaves. She retreats to a bar where she thinks she catches sight of Michael. Later, Hugh apologizes and proposes to her in Brooklyn, making an ultimatum: a ring for a role. She finally realizes that he's scum and demands he take her home, at which point he leaves her stranded in Brooklyn.

Michael is at the St. Regis when he sees Jane, and she sees him. After they recognize each other and re-introduce each other, they decide to take a walk together. They realize how much they've missed and need each other. They spend the rest of the day together.

The next day, Vivienne controls Jane at work and Jane finally stands up for herself. She storms out and meets up with Michael. They soon meet every day and go out every night, becoming closer and closer, while Jane's professional life becomes more and more hectic. Vivienne reveals to Jane that her grandmother died of heart failure at age 34.

Hugh makes one last attempt to win Jane back, but after he explodes and insults her, she punches him in front of Vivienne. Vivienne takes his side and Jane storms out, vowing never to return. Michael feels an impulse to go and meet Jane, but on his way he stops at a cathedral where he gets his message: Jane is going to die and it's his mission to help her out of life.

Michael meets with Jane and they run away to spend a week in Nantucket, where they are happy and carefree. However, Michael becomes increasingly worried about Jane and her health. After she loses much of her appetite, he decides that he is the thing that's keeping her from living out her life. He leaves without notice in an effort to save her.

Jane finds him gone and is devastated that he has now left her twice. She goes home to New York where she collapses from stomach pains. The phone rings, and she can barely get up to answer it.

Michael is out in New York when he gets a sudden impulse to go to the New York Hospital. He realizes that Jane must be there. He sprints there, but when he arrives, he finds Vivienne in the hospital bed. He realizes that it was Vivienne whom he was sent to protect, not Jane. Jane soon arrives and lovingly reconnects with her mother before Vivienne dies peacefully.

After Vivienne's funeral, Michael collapses and is taken to the hospital. Since imaginary friends never get sick, he and Jane realize that he must be human now. He soon makes a full recovery and vows to spend the rest of his life with Jane. In an epilogue, Michael and Jane have married and have two children.

Quinn is an apprentice thief. Quinn has a problem, however, in that he is too honest to actually steal anything worth value and prove himself to his guild. As such, his guild master sets him up to take the fall for the murder of the Duke of Cairn.Wilson, Johnny, ed. "Now Playing: Shadows of Cairn". ''Computer Gaming World''. Pg.260-261. January 1995.

After escaping from his holding cell, Quinn must fight and sneak his way through several areas of the tiered outpost city in the mountains of Cairn and prove his innocence and save the outpost from the greedy menace of his former master and associates.

In the summer of 1977, in the coastal village of Howth, County Dublin, Ireland, on his last day of secondary school, a despondent Frankie (Leto) believes he has failed his final exams. His plans to attend university and romance girls such as his classmates Romy (Emily Mortimer) and Jayne (Lorraine Pilkington) have been ruined. Nevertheless, he cheerfully goes out with friends that night.

The morning of June 30, Frankie anxiously begins waiting out the seven weeks until August 18, when his exam results are expected. Frankie's mother, Cathleen (Catherine O'Hara), berates him in front of his younger brother, Ray. When Frankie's theatrical father (Gabriel Byrne) arrives, he impatiently drives his car through the locked property gate, damaging it, before greeting his wife and five children. Jack gives Frankie a goldfish as a preemptive birthday present because he will soon leave again on an extended trip to the United States for another stage production which will likely cause him to miss Frankie's next birthday. Before leaving, Jack gives Frankie some reassuring advice about his future.

Frankie plans a beach party and fantasizes being with Romy and Jayne on a local beach. Frankie receives a letter from Jack offering further advice which only confuses him further. When his mother goes out for the night at a political function, Frankie invites a houseful of friends over, but the party fails to entertain because Frankie and his friends neglected to invite any women.

One midsummer day, whilst Frankie and a friend attempt to repair the gate his father nearly destroyed, Romy visits to collect donations for the Labour Party. Frankie's mother later warns him to avoid Romy, Jayne, as well as all other Protestant women.

Erin (Ricci), a visiting teenager from Milwaukee, and her little sister, Rainbow, comes to stay with the family at Jack's invitation. Frankie impresses Erin by playing the guitar at dinner. When Erin admits to seeing Frankie as a mature grown man, his mother denies the possibility. As Frankie begins printing flyers for his beach party, his mother insists that he escort Erin to the cinema. On a public bus, Frankie introduces Erin to Romy and Jayne. At Romy's and Jayne's suggestion, Erin willingly demonstrates a cheerleading routine on the crowded bus, dedicated to Frankie to his embarrassment. Having publicly confessed her love for Frankie, Erin pries at Frankie for his true feelings. After initially rebuffing her, the couple share a passionate kiss. When Erin departs the next day, Frankie is too embarrassed to come out to say goodbye.

Cathleen pressures Frankie to vote illegally in the local election. Instead of actually voting, Frankie scrawls "FUCK YOU" on his ballot and puts it into the ballot box. James Davern (Colm Meaney) is declared the winner later that evening to Cathleen's delight. Cathleen hosts an impromptu victory party where she serenades Mr. Davern himself. Frankie and Ray serve spiked punch to the attendees. Mr. Davern attempts to seduce Cathleen with flattery and kisses as her sons look on, but he soon passes out from alcohol poisoning.

After arguing with friends about the futility of planning a beach party, Frankie heedlessly wanders into a gorse fire. He succumbs to the smoke but is soon rescued by firemen. When Jayne walks Frankie home, she invites him to play pool. After playing pool, a jealous Romy watches as Jayne takes Frankie home where they make love. Jayne kicks out the highly enamored, but confused, Frankie, and throws his clothes out the window. On his way home, he learns from a bereft friend that Elvis Presley had died earlier that day. At his mother's insistence to confess to the priest, Frankie makes a mock confession.

The mail arrives with the exam results letter early. Frankie passed his exams after all! When Jack arrives home by taxicab, he has the driver break through the repaired gate. Frankie reconnects with his father who suggests he throw the beach party in Elvis Presley's honor. At the party, Frankie confesses his love to Romy who then joins him for a walk on the beach.

Will Proudfoot is a quiet and shy boy who comes from a family that belongs to the strict Plymouth Brethren church. Will is forbidden from watching films or television and is made to leave his classroom when the teacher puts on a documentary. In the corridor, he meets Lee Carter, the worst-behaved boy in school, thrown out of another class for bad behaviour. They accidentally break a fish bowl in the corridor; Lee volunteers to take the blame, pretending that the punishment is torture, in exchange for Will's watch, which belonged to his dead father. Moreover, Lee demands that Will performs the stunts in a film Lee is making with home video equipment owned by his bullying older brother, Lawrence, which Lawrence uses in his video bootlegging enterprise. He intends to enter the ''Screen Test'' Young Film-Makers' Competition.

Will accepts, after accidentally seeing the film ''First Blood'' at Lee's house while hiding from Lawrence. He becomes very enthusiastic, and plays several dangerous action scenes, culminating in the two boys becoming 'blood brothers' after Lee saves Will from drowning. Lee finds Will's sketch book, full of colourful and glorious ideas, and starts to incorporate some of them into his film script. The two become best friends, but Will has to keep it secret from his family and the increasingly interfering Brother Joshua of the Brethren, who clearly has designs on his mother.

French exchange students arrive and one of them, Didier Revol, becomes very popular. After finding Will's sketch book, he asks Will if he and his acolytes can play in the film, and Will agrees. Didier reveals that he has always wanted to be an actor. This mushrooms into the whole school being part of the production, and Will being included with the cool sixth-formers. Lee does not like this, as he is no longer in control, and finally quits after a fight with Will during filming of the last sequence, which takes place at a disused power station. After Will becomes trapped when part of the unstable structure collapses due to Didier's carelessness, and the entire school/crew run away, even Didier, Lee returns to rescue his friend, but uses the excuse that he has come to collect his brother's camera. He too gets hurt, and has to go to hospital. Lawrence visits him, but is angry about the fact that the camera is broken.

Will's mother, from whom he has struggled to hide his activities, finally realises that her son must be allowed to be himself and her family leaves the Brethren. The film is never submitted to the competition as they miss the deadline. The French students leave, and while Didier was popular and worshipped in Britain, his own school-mates mock him, and he is actually lonely and isolated. When Lawrence looks at Lee's footage he is impressed, and he sees Lee's rant at Will defending Lawrence's neglect and bullying, which was accidentally filmed. With Will's help, he adds a part in which he acts himself – including a reply message for his brother. When Lee leaves the hospital, he is brought to a cinema by surprise. His film is shown before the main feature (much to the enjoyment of the audience) and the two boys reunite.

It starts with a caveman going to give some flowers to a cavegirl. He fails when he hits a tree. However, he keeps going. However, the "Self Appointed Hero" of the story steals the girl's heart. Meanwhile, an evil gorilla-like ape called "Wild Willie" the Missing Link is watching them. When the Missing Link goes to hunt for snakes at the lake, where the dinosaur is, the dinosaur kills the Missing Link after a fight and goes away. Then the "Hero" finds the Missing Link and takes the credit for killing Wild Willie.

Set in 1967, the series begin with events following the end of the 1989 miniseries, ''The Women of Brewster Place''. Mattie Michael (Oprah Winfrey) is fired from her job as a beautician, and agrees to purchase a neighborhood restaurant with her best friend Etta Mae (Brenda Pressley). Kiswana (Rachel Crawford), Abshu (Kelly Neal), and Miss Sophie (Olivia Cole) are still residents of Brewster Place, and various other individuals move onto the block as the series progresses.

The series was filmed entirely in Chicago, on the lot of Winfrey's Harpo Productions. It failed to capture the audience and critical acclaim of the miniseries, and was cancelled after a month. However, the full season of 11 episodes has since been released on both VHS and DVD.

In an attempt to protect the welfare of Clem's wife, Ballarat Bob takes Clem's savings and puts them in safe keeping with Clem's wife. This causes Clem to think his wife is having an affair; he goes on to shoot up the town and eventually ends up in a confrontation with Bob.

Kyne said of his novel, "I have at last finished writing "The Pride of Palomar." It isn't at all what I wanted it to be; it isn't at all what I planned it to be, but it does contain something of what you and I both feel, something of what you wanted me to put into it. Indeed, I shall always wish to think that it contains just a few faint little echoes of the spirit of that old California that was fast vanishing when I first disturbed the quiet of the Mission Dolores with infantile shrieks—when you first gazed upon the redwood-studded hills of Sonoma County."

Of the silent films in the early 20th century, Peter French says calls it a dramatic tale of "personal crimes, moral tales, and the place of crime in public life".

Having recently moved, twenty-seven-year-old Lori Bancroft inquires at a small urban apartment building about an advertised vacancy. The landlord and building superintendent Karl Gunther, an older German man, hospitably gives her a tour of the apartment, telling her that its last tenant was a young woman who disappeared without paying rent. During the tour, Gunther secretly performs a masochistic rite, holding his hand over an open stove-top flame.

Outwardly normal, Gunther leads a double-life as a sadistic, self-loathing psychopath, abducting and torturing his young female tenants and locking them in attic cages, where he removes their tongues and leaves them alive so that he can "have someone to talk to." Once a respectable doctor, he made his living performing euthanasia ("mercy killing") and being ashamed when he learned that his father, a Dachau concentration camp doctor, used the same justification when killing Jewish prisoners in human experiments. Besides regular self-harm, Gunther plays Russian roulette with a loaded handgun, hoping to one day kill himself to end his killing spree with what little morality he has left.

After murdering one of his tenants and removing their eyes, Gunther is visited by Josef Steiner, who has been searching for him for three years. Steiner tells Gunther that in the five years he was chief resident at Buenos Aires hospital, sixty-seven people in his care all died, including Steiner's own brother. He confronts him about his familial history among Nazis, including how his father was executed for crimes against humanity and a photograph of young Karl in a Hitler Youth uniform.

Karl begins spying on and murdering his tenants via the reinforced ventilation crawlspace vents, and a series of mechanized traps he controls from his residence. Like his father, he begins displaying signs of a God complex, reveling in the ability to give life and take it away at will. Steiner attempts to assassinate Gunther, but is instead led into his apartment, where he is killed by one of his traps. Gunther proceeds to pose in an S.S. uniform in front of a mirror and declaring himself his "own god, own jury, and own executioner."

Lori returns home to her apartment to find her refrigerator swarming with live rats and Steiner's corpse in the bathtub, a swastika carved into his forehead. Lori tries to run for help as Gunther sets off security mechanisms that trap her inside the building. Running from door-to-door, she finds her neighbors all killed in similarly brutal fashion. Lori flees into Gunther's attic hideout, where she finds his last surviving caged female prisoner. As Gunther approaches, she manages to sneak through a booby-trapped crawlspace vent. Gunther releases a cage full of rats into the vent after her, but she manages to avoid them and circle back to his room. Gunther pursues her, but appears to inadvertently set off one of his own traps and impale himself with a blade, Lori and the female prisoner taking the opportunity to run away. The gaff, however, is only a ploy. As the two run to Karl's apartment to phone the police, he chases them with a knife. Lori grabs Karl's revolver and fires it at him, it clicks empty several times before finally shooting its only round. Karl accepts his death before expiring, declaring "so be it."

The vault of the Spencer Mansion is robbed, and the Bayport Police call on brother detectives Frank and Joe Hardy for help to tie up some loose ends. The teen sleuths soon find themselves in the middle of a major criminal investigation that takes them out of their hometown Bayport, and into New York City. But the pieces don't add up, and Frank and Joe find themselves embroiled in a drama of sinister proportions, and they begin to suspect the recent theft is somehow linked to something from the past.

A young man breaks into a nurses' rooming house and one-by-one kills off the nurses therein. In the tradition of Wakamatsu's other Pinku eiga, there is much sexuality and nudity. However most of the actual murders take place off screen.

The film is about a young dancer trying to make it in London during World War II and then discovers that people like her singing voice. Although she's reluctant at first to sing, she finally does and becomes a star. She meets a young musician who composes classical music and who turns his nose up at modern vulgar popular music, but she believes he can be a success at it and sets out to turn him around.

''Don Diego de la Vega'' is a young man of high social position from the town of Los Angeles, who fights against tyranny under a secret identity, ''Zorro''. He is helped by ''Tempest'' (originally "Tornado"), his black horse, and ''Miguel'', a young swordsman (replacing the traditional mute servant Bernardo). Miguel wears a disguise very similar to Zorro’s (but with different colors and without a cape) and rides a Palomino.

''Ramón'', the captain of the garrison, is Zorro’s main foe. Captain Ramón is helped in his task of capturing Zorro by ''González'', a foolish sergeant who is friends with the De La Vega family. Sergeant González was a character from the original Zorro story 'The Curse of Capistrano'. He had been replaced by Sergeant Garcia on the Disney series. The actor who voiced González, Don Diamond, played Sergeant Garcia's companion Corporal Reyes.

Harrison Lloyd, a Pulitzer Prize-winning ''Newsweek'' photojournalist, travels on his last assignment to the dissolving Yugoslavia in 1991, during the Croatian War of Independence. While there, he is presumed to have been killed in a building collapse. His wife travels to the region to find him, believing him to be in the city of Vukovar. Travelling through the war-torn landscape, she arrives in the city, and bears witness to the massacre which took place there. Back home, Harrison's son Cesar cares for his father's flowers in their greenhouse.

Fourteen-year-old Georgia lives in Eastbourne with her parents Connie and Bob and little sister Libby. She is insecure about her appearance and fears she will never have a boyfriend. On the first day of the new school term, Georgia and her friends Jas, Ellen and Rosie spot fraternal twin brothers Robbie and Tom, who have recently moved to Eastbourne from London.

Georgia and Jas decide to approach the brothers in their mother's organic foodshop, where they work. Jas is quickly enamored with Tom and Georgia strikes up a conversation with Robbie. However, they soon discover that Robbie is dating Lindsay, the most popular girl in school. After learning that Robbie likes cats, Georgia pretends that her cat Angus has gone missing and asks Robbie for help finding him. Jas has Angus on a leash in the park, but he escapes and Tom rescues him just as Georgia and Robbie arrive. Robbie leaves to spend time with Lindsay and Tom asks Jas on a date, after which they become a couple.

Bob moves to New Zealand for a job, while the rest of the family stays in England. During his absence, Connie hires a handsome builder, Jem, to redo the living room, and begins to spend increasingly longer periods of time with him, prompting Georgia to worry about the state of her parents' marriage.

In an attempt to impress Robbie, Georgia takes "snogging lessons" with Peter Dyer, who becomes infatuated with her. When Peter tries to kiss her at a party, he ends up embarrassing her in front of Robbie, Lindsay, Jas and Tom. In order to evade Peter, Georgia lies to him about being a lesbian. When Tom invites Jas to go swimming with him and Robbie, Georgia tags along. While in the pool, Robbie and Georgia kiss. Robbie then leaves, but promises to call Georgia later.

After not hearing from Robbie in a while, Georgia is heartbroken. She decides to make Robbie jealous so that he realises his feelings for her. She invites Dave to see Robbie's band, the Stiff Dylans, perform. Upon seeing Georgia and Dave dancing and laughing, Robbie tries to talk to her but is stopped by Lindsay.

At school, Dave confronts Georgia about using him to make Robbie jealous. Upon learning what Georgia did to Dave, Robbie severs ties with her. Georgia discovers it was Jas that accidentally leaked this information. After Georgia kicks Jas in the shin during an argument, they vow never to speak to each other again. Shortly afterwards, Robbie tells Georgia he was considering breaking up with Lindsay before becoming involved with Georgia, but now he is disappointed with her recent behaviour.

Devastated, Georgia decides that she would like to move to New Zealand. She stops by her father's workplace and breaks down in tears with a woman who works with him, telling her she does not want her family to be apart from each other. She later goes to the beach, knowing Robbie would be there, and apologises to him. Robbie reveals he dumped Lindsay and admits he still likes Georgia.

On Georgia's 15th birthday, Connie takes her to a nightclub for the first time. The place initially seems empty, but Georgia's friends and family soon show up to reveal a surprise birthday party, which Jas secretly organised with Connie. Georgia and Jas make amends. Bob returns from New Zealand, deciding to stay in Eastbourne for a better job opportunity, after his boss told him about Georgia's breakdown. It is also revealed that Jem is gay and his boyfriend owns the club. The Stiff Dylans are performing the song "Ultraviolet", which Robbie wrote about Georgia, when they are interrupted by Lindsay, who comes from her own party (to which no one turned up) and demands that Robbie choose between her and Georgia. He chooses Georgia, kissing her onstage. Jas pulls out Lindsay's breast pads and tosses them into the crowd, prompting a furious Lindsay to storm off.

Ultimately, Georgia is content with her eccentric family and realises she does not need to change her appearance, as her boyfriend Robbie likes her the way she is.

Act One

The play opens with a fearful Oedipus lamenting a vicious plague which is affecting Thebes, the city over which he rules. People are dying in such huge numbers that there are not enough of the living to ensure that each of the victims is cremated. He also mentions a prophecy that he had received from Apollo before he came to Thebes that he would kill his father and marry his mother. He had thus fled the kingdom of his father Polybus. However, Oedipus is so disturbed by what is occurring in Thebes that he even considers returning to his home city. But Jocasta strengthens his resolution, and he stays.

Act Two

Creon returns from the Oracle at Delphi with the instruction that Thebes is required to avenge the death of the former King Laius if the citywide plague is to end. Oedipus utters an ironic curse on the yet unrevealed killer, wishing for him "the crimes that I have fled from". The prophet Tiresias appears and is asked by Oedipus to make clear the meaning of the oracle. Tiresias then proceeds to carry out a sacrifice, which contains a number of horrific signs. As Tiresias does not have the name of King Laius' killer, he proposes to summon Laius' spirit back from Erebus to learn the identity of the guilty one.

Act Three

Creon returns from seeing Tiresias after he has spoken to Laius' ghost, but is unwilling to reveal to Oedipus the killer's name. Oedipus threatens him, and then Creon relents. He says Laius accuses the king of having blood on his hands, and who "has defiled his father's marriage-bed". He goes on to say that Laius promises the plague will cease if the king is expelled from Thebes. Creon advises Oedipus to abdicate, but Oedipus believes that he has invented this story, along with Tiresias, in order to seize his throne. Despite Creon's protestations of innocence, Oedipus has him arrested.

Act Four

Oedipus is troubled by the faint memory of a man whom he had killed on the road for behaving arrogantly before him while Oedipus was travelling to Thebes. An elderly messenger comes from Corinth to tell Oedipus that his father King Polybus has died and for him to come and take his throne. Oedipus does not want to return as he still fears the prophecy that he will marry his mother. The messenger then tells him that Corinth's queen is not his mother, and that he was given Oedipus as a baby on mount Cithaeron. Oedipus then learns, after threatening the shepherd that gave him away, that he is in fact Jocasta's son.

Act Five

A messenger relays the news that Oedipus contemplated suicide and wanted his body flung to wild beasts; but then Oedipus decided that his crime deserved something even more horrible, on account of the suffering Thebes has endured. He resolved to find a slow death for himself. He craved a punishment in which he would neither "join the number of the dead nor dwell among the living". The messenger goes on to explain how Oedipus tore out his eyes with his hands. The chorus question fate, each person's "commanding thread of life", and then hear Oedipus entering. He appears with both eyes removed and is confronted by Jocasta. She realises from his action that she, too, must punish herself for her crimes. While on stage, she takes his sword and kills herself with it.

A cowboy called Sky High learns that he has inherited a fortune, but must move to the East to collect and keep it. The only other heir, Landers, conspires with gold-digger Goldie Le Croix to seduce and abandon Sky High, sharing his newfound wealth. The plot fails when Goldie genuinely falls for him.

An ancient but still fleshy Chinese corpse is on auction in England. A young businessman (Sam Christopher Chow) purchases the corpse. The corpse is revealed to be the body of his third great-grandfather and he intends to give it a proper burial in Hong Kong. To keep it from becoming an irrepressible vampire, the descendant hires a good-natured Taoist priest (Lam Ching Ying) to maintain control of the cadaver using a yellow talisman. The young descendant and the Taoist priest decide that the best way to get the valued ancestor home is via a direct flight to Hong Kong on a private jet.

During the flight, the plane malfunctions and an altercation breaks out between the ruthless pilot and the two passengers. Luckily, they outsmart the pilot and descend from the troublesome plane by using parachutes. The corpse and the two end up separated during the chaos, and they land in Africa.

The corpse lands in front of Xixo (N!xau), where he and his tribe are being confronted by a rival clan led by two greedy Caucasians. The corpse's presence scares away the villains. Xixo somehow learns to control the corpse using a bell and he takes it to his tribe. Soon he and his family think of it as a gift from God, as it aids them in various matters, such as bringing down fruit from towering trees.

The descendant and the priest land in a vast and dry area miles away from Xixo's home. Confronting an assortment of African animals, they make their way across the foreign land in search of the corpse and rescue. During this time, the corpse forms a strong bond with the compassionate Xixo and his family. Days later, the descendant and the priest meet Xixo and his family. Not knowing they have the corpse, the two nevertheless stay with them, finding food, water, and shelter. They all abruptly form a solid friendship, despite the language barrier, as they all help out each other when in need.

Days later, the priest figures that the corpse must be nearby, since he connects the strange lack of birds in the area with the ominous close presence of a cadaver. Using magic, he summons the corpse to his hut. Xixo and his family frantically chase the corpse. After the corpse reunites with his descendant, the priest proves to Xixo that it belongs to them, and Xixo eventually agrees. After a few more days of living together, they prepare to part ways with the bushmen and Xixo leads them to the main path to civilisation. However, the rival clan is still after what Xixo's homeland has as a natural abundance: diamonds, as they invade the huts and threaten the residents. The corpse, feeling obligated to aid Xixo and his family, goes back, with the priest and the descendant following. A battle takes place between the villains and Xixo's people, with the corpse managing to chase away one of the ruthless leaders. The priest even summons the spirit of the late Bruce Lee to aid Xixo, and the villains are finally defeated. The priest uses the radio left in the villains' Jeep to contact a helicopter. Before boarding, the priest, the descendant, and the corpse bid farewell to Xixo and his family.

Sai Moon-Kin (Tsui) is a rich man who lives with his concubines and his son and a daughter named Yiau (Loletta Lee), who is raised like a boy and is ignorant of the ways of love. Because her brother is intellectually disabled, Yiau wants to be her father's heir but feels that she needs to go to school for the required education. Her desire to attend school leads her to a love affair with a lustful young scholar (Ken Lok). Only after she is equipped by a protective chastity belt, does her father let Yiau go to school, guised in drag.

Sai Moon finds his son's new wife Siu-Tsui (Shu Qi) attractive. He does not realize that she is the evil Mirage Lady, who knows "sucking" magic. Yiau and the Iron Man (Ben Ng) try to stop the Mirage Lady from harming any more people.

Carol Shelton, a photographer, is offered a prestigious international assignment. Her long-time boyfriend, Greg, is upset because he wants to have children and she believes that having a globetrotting career would prevent her from getting any fulfillment out of motherhood. At his urging, she agrees to reflect on it further. The next day she goes to the zoo for an assigned shoot and meets a boy who challenges her to guess his name; she comes up with Kenneth. She presumes he is the model from the agency, which he affirms. They have a lot of fun during the photo shoot, but when she begins asking personal questions he leaves in alarm. While developing the photos, Carol gets a call from the agency apologizing for failing to send a model.

Carol decides to take the job, and she and Greg break up. Kenny appears to her in her apartment. He expresses disappointment in her decision to take the job, and apologizes for lying about being from the agency. When she asks how he knew where she lives, Kenny panics and runs away.

Carol sees Kenny in a park and confronts him. He won't explicitly tell her who he is because "It's against the rules", but she has already figured out that Kenny is the son she would have if she chose to stay with Greg instead of taking the job. She says that she does want him, and makes a vague promise that she will have children someday, but Kenny replies that even if she does eventually have a son, it will not be him. They commiserate as the boy fades away.

Carol discusses her new job over the phone. Photos of Kenny and Carol together are arranged in the apartment. After she ends the call and leaves, Kenny vanishes from the photographs.

Visiting a garage sale, Mary Ellen and Janice Hamill stumble upon a golden lamp that is engraved: "Rub me and your wish will come true. Certain restrictions may apply." When Janice rubs the lamp, she is transported to the Department of Magical Venues, a bank-like room where a broker types up her three wishes: $10,000,000, to look 10 years younger, and for her ex-husband Craig to suffer moderate sexual dysfunction for 18 months. Her broker gives her a stack of papers to sign and tells her that she will have to pay taxes on the wishes. Then he directs her to stand in a long line at the validation window to get her wishes approved.

After finally getting to the front of the line, Janice is told that she is missing a form and is directed back to her broker only to find a supervisor has just fired him for an error he committed. He then tells her that it is quitting time and everyone but Janice disappears. Frustrated, Janice wishes she had never found the lamp in the first place and is transported back to the garage sale. It is moments before she found the lamp, but this time she leaves for a sale at Fashion Square.

After the recently widowed Paul Marano's only daughter, Cathy, is put into a coma by a car accident, he is guided by the apparition of another girl to buy an old wooden bed from an orphanage sale at a convent next door to the hospital. He places the bed in his daughter's room.

That evening, he finds that the bed is haunted by the girl who asked him to purchase the bed. She asks him to find "Toby" for her. Returning to the convent the next day, he learns that the girl's name was Sarah and she died of tuberculosis many decades earlier while sleeping in the bed he bought. He also learns that Toby was her teddy bear. The sister at the convent who remembers Sarah is reluctant to part with the bear, which was not included in the orphanage sale because it is a memento of Sarah, but Paul convinces her that Sarah is a ghost, and that she may have been left on Earth to accomplish a purpose.

He is given the teddy bear and then takes Cathy home from the hospital and places her in the bed he purchased on behalf of Sarah. Cathy wakes up the next morning and asks for Toby.

Todd Ettinger accidentally runs into a woman at the cash register at a diner. Cupid throws magical dust over them and they fall in love. However, Todd ignores his feelings and heads to work. Cupid follows Todd to his office, identifies himself, and vents his frustration that humans have become so unsentimental that they can brush aside the experience of falling in love. Taking him for a nut, Todd tries to call someone to throw Cupid out of his office, but Cupid melts his phone and, in a pique of anger, shoots three love arrows into Todd's heart.

After work, Todd sees the woman again and gives chase but loses sight of her. He has a restless night, and realizes Cupid's arrows have trapped him into desperate love. Recalling that Cupid mentioned a conversation he had with Bacchus, he looks Bacchus up in a phone book and turns up at one of his parties, hoping he will find Cupid there. He tells Cupid that he was right and he now realizes he wants a meaningful relationship with a woman, and asks him to fix him up with the woman he is in love with. A drunk Cupid reveals his powers are at an ebb because he has fallen into despair over his own estranged love, a Fury named Megaera. Todd plans to get Cupid and Megaera back together, hoping then Cupid will help him.

Todd summons Megaera with an incantation he got from Bacchus. She rants about how she would never get back with Cupid because of his diddling with mortals. Todd calls Bacchus and arranges another meeting. Megaera and Cupid both show up at his office and he uses an incantation to keep them from leaving. Cupid apologizes to her and admits he was wrong. Megaera accepts his apology and they fall in love again. Todd leaves them alone in his office to make up. Later, he goes back in to find a letter that states they hitched a ride with the window washer. Todd is upset that he is left with unrequited love. Attempting to comfort himself with shopping, he buys a car. After pulling off the lot he is rear-ended - by the woman he was pining after. She tells Todd that she had been looking for him as well. Cupid and Megaera drive by, waving and smiling at Todd as he and the woman embrace.

On a hot summer day in 1936 Kansas, a boy and his aunt Neva are driving along a dusty, country road. They pick up an old man in raggedy clothes who hails them to stop. Once aboard, the old man unnerves them by suggesting that the heat has driven him to madness. Using the device of theorizing, he tells them about a genetically evil man who, rather than being born, was revived by the day's intense heat after 57 years of sleeping in the river bed. Then, when night falls, the 57-year man molts off his old body and emerges as a newborn child, and then, voraciously hungry and thirsty after 57 years of sleep, proceeds to consume the surrounding landscape, wildlife, and people. When the old man begins describing the man eating people with an enthusiasm that suggests he himself is the 57-year man, Neva stops the car and throws him out. She and the boy laugh it off and head for a lake, where they stop and enjoy the day.

On the drive home, night falls, and the boy begins to worry about running into the old man again. They come upon a boy in a bright white suit. He claims he was at a picnic and got lost. They pick him up. The boy in the white suit leans forward and says something to Neva which makes her realize the boy is the old man they picked up before. The car comes to a stop and dies. Smiling, the boy in the white suit says "Have you ever wondered if there was such a thing as genetic evil in the world?"

A group of friends are having a poker night. Regulars Tony, Marty, Jake, and Peter are joined by Nick, who is subbing for their friend Norman. After many hands won by Nick, Jake begins to ponder why he is dealt so many sixes. While Nick and Marty are away from the table, Jake confirms that Nick's current hand has three sixes. The guys become convinced that Nick is the Devil when they call Norman and discover he isn't sick.

When Nick rejoins the table, he admits that they are right and apologizes for the deception. He also informs them that one of them is to die and go to Hell tonight. The three friends debate who it is to be collected. At Nick's suggestion, they draw to determine who it is, and Pete "wins". Tony argues that in order to be fair, Pete should get to play Nick for the fate of his soul. Nick puts up nineteen dollars against Pete's soul. After being allowed the right of dealer's choice, Pete chooses lowball, where the worst hand wins, anticipating that Nick's tendency to draw sixes will practically guarantee he gets three of a kind or higher.

Marty rejoins the group. Nick indeed draws three sixes, but Pete draws four fives, leaving Nick drawing a fourth six as Pete's only path to victory. Nick turns over his last card. It is a Death Tarot card. Before the Devil can take Pete, however, Marty touches the Death card, failing to understand what it signifies. Because of Marty's innocence, the card reveals itself to be a fourth six, which Nick had concealed under an illusion to avoid losing. To make amends for this cheating, he leaves them a grand feast along with a refrigerator filled with beer. The Devil leaves, thanking Pete for his hospitality and says he hopes to host the next game, insinuating that he plans for all of them to end up in Hell. As the friends start another poker hand, they resolve to be better husbands to their wives and start going to church regularly.

Maddie Duncan, a timid thrift store employee, finds a pair of expensive high-heeled shoes in a box of donations. After trying them on, she is possessed by the shoes' late owner: Susan Montgomery, the wife of Kyle Montgomery, a wealthy lawyer. Susan storms out of the store and catches a cab to her mansion. When the maid, Inez, objects to her entering, Susan is confused, seeming not to realize that her appearance is different. She unnerves Inez by mentioning the illicit bonus pay she has been getting from Kyle, and goes upstairs to have a bath. When Susan takes off her shoes, she turns back into Maddie, with no memory of what happened. Inez proceeds to run her off, but once she puts the shoes on, Maddie is again possessed by Susan.

Susan calls Kyle at work. She identifies herself and says she is at their home, but her voice is unfamiliar and so he assumes her to be a blackmailer. When he gets home and confronts her, Susan retells the events of her death, revealing how Kyle murdered her. He still assumes her to be blackmailing him, but when she kisses him he realizes that she is indeed Susan. Horrified, he goes for his handgun, but Susan has already confiscated it and begins shooting at him. He flees outside, where Susan's high-heeled shoes become an encumbrance. She takes them off and becomes Maddie again. Maddie drops the gun, and realizing that the shoes are somehow the trigger for her frightening blackouts, she discards them in a garbage can.

Fearing that if arrested, Susan will publicly disclose that her death was not an accident, Kyle does not give the police a description of Maddie. He instead abandons the mansion, and dismisses Inez. At a neighbor’s house, a maid notices Susan’s shoes in the trash can and puts them on. Now possessed by Susan, she picks up the dropped gun. Susan goes back to the Montgomery manor, where she enters the access code and goes inside. A gunshot is heard, presumably resulting in Kyle’s death.

Betsy (Bea Alonzo) and Michael (John Lloyd Cruz) are only two of the people who ride the Manila Metro Rail Transit System Line 3 every day. Betsy is a hopeless romantic, while Michael is a non-believer when it comes to love and romance.

Betsy is overcome with excitement when her best friend (Nikki Valdez) and her boyfriend set Betsy up on a date with Michael. However, when they finally meet, Michael turns out to be the exact opposite of her ideal man. But Betsy doesn't let herself become disheartened, instead she allows herself to fall in love with the real Michael.

In the Spanish countryside, a middle-aged man named Héctor and his wife Clara live in a home that they are renovating. Héctor scans the forest behind their house with binoculars and sees a young woman take off her T-shirt, exposing her breasts. When his wife goes shopping, he investigates and finds the woman on the ground, naked and unconscious. He is stabbed in the arm by a mysterious man with bloody bandages on his face. Fleeing and breaking into a mysterious nearby building, Héctor contacts a scientist by walkie-talkie, who warns him of the bandaged man and guides him to his location, promising safety. The scientist convinces Héctor to hide from the bandaged man, who is just outside, in a large mechanical device. However, when he leaves the machine, Héctor discovers that he has traveled approximately an hour back in time.

The scientist explains that the machine is an experimental time travel device, and refers to Héctor as "Héctor 2". The scientist tells him that they need to stay where they are and let events unfold. Despite the scientist's warning, Héctor 2 drives off in a car, passing a cyclist, only to be run off the road by a van, cutting his head, which he wraps using the bandage from his arm wound. The bandage turns pink from absorbing the blood. The cyclist approaches to see if he is all right – it is the woman he earlier saw in the forest. He proceeds to replicate events by making her undress in view of Héctor 1. When she runs away, he catches her, inadvertently knocking her out. He lays her out naked on the ground and then stabs Hector 1 in the arm when he arrives. The woman escapes. Héctor 2 returns to his home, where he hears a scream and chases a woman through his house and onto the roof. When he attempts to grab her, she slips and falls to her death. Seeing the body from the roof, Héctor 2 is horrified, believing he has killed his own wife.

Héctor contacts the scientist over a walkie-talkie and convinces him to lure Héctor's past self to the lab with warnings that he is being pursued. Driving to the lab, Héctor 2 insists that he must travel back one more time, despite the scientist revealing that there is a Héctor 3, who told him he must stop Héctor 2 from doing just that.

After removing his bandages, Héctor 2 convinces the scientist to send him back several seconds before he initially appears. He finds a van and runs Héctor 2 off the road, but crashes as well, knocking himself out. Upon waking, he informs the scientist he has failed to stop Héctor 2 by any means. He encounters the woman again, startling her into screaming, though she does not recognize him as her assailant. Since Héctor 2 has heard her scream, Héctor 3 and the woman flee to Héctor's house. They become separated. Héctor 3 finds and hides his wife, then realizes what has to happen / will happen / has already happened. He finds the woman, cuts her ponytail off, gives her his wife's coat, and tells her to hide upstairs. Héctor 2 chases her onto the roof. Héctor 3 sits on his lawn with his wife, as Héctor 2 accidentally kills the woman, then drives off – heading back to the lab to become Héctor 3. Emergency vehicles are heard approaching in the distance.

The novel is substantially concerned with violence and death. According to Levi Stahl, it "is another iteration of Bolaño's increasingly baroque, cryptic, and mystical personal vision of the world, revealed obliquely by his recurrent symbols, images, and tropes". Within the novel, "There is something secret, horrible, and cosmic afoot, centered around Santa Teresa (and possibly culminating in the mystical year of the book's title, a date that is referred to in passing in ''Amulet'' as well). We can at most glimpse it, in those uncanny moments when the world seems wrong."

The novel's five parts are linked by varying degrees of concern with unsolved murders of upwards of 300 young, poor, mostly uneducated Mexican women in the fictional border town of Santa Teresa (based on Ciudad Juárez but located in Sonora rather than Chihuahua) though it is the fourth part which focuses specifically on the murders.

The Part about the Critics

This part describes a group of four European literary critics, the French Jean-Claude Pelletier, the Italian Piero Morini, the Spaniard Manuel Espinoza and the English woman Liz Norton, who have forged their careers around the reclusive German novelist Benno von Archimboldi. Their search for Archimboldi himself and details of his life causes them to get to know his aging publisher Mrs. Bubis. Then in a seminary in Toulouse the four academics meet up with Rodolfo Alatorre, a Mexican who says a friend knew him in Mexico City a short while back and that from there the elusive German was said to be going to the Mexican border town of Santa Teresa in Sonora. Three of the academics go there in search of him but fail to find him. A major element of this part centers around romantic entanglements between the critics.

The Part about Amalfitano

This part concentrates on Óscar Amalfitano, a Chilean professor of philosophy who arrives at the University of Santa Teresa from Barcelona with his young adult daughter Rosa. As a single parent (since her mother Lola abandoned them both when Rosa was two) Amalfitano fears Rosa will become another victim of the femicides plaguing the city.

The Part about Fate

This part follows Oscar Fate, an American journalist from New York City who works for an African-American interest magazine in Harlem, New York City. He is sent to Santa Teresa to cover a boxing match despite not being a sports correspondent and knowing very little about boxing. A Mexican journalist, Chucho Flores, who is also covering the fight, tells him about the murders. He asks his newspaper if he can write an article about the murders but his proposal is rejected. He meets up with a female journalist, Guadalupe, who is covering the murders and who promises to get him an interview with one of the main suspects, Klaus Haas, a German who had become a citizen of the United States before moving to Santa Teresa. The day of the fight Chucho presents Oscar to Rosa Amalfitano. After a violent incident they end up at Óscar Amalfitano's house where the father pays Fate to take Rosa with him back to the United States by car. Before leaving, however, Rosa and Fate go to the prison with Guadalupe to interview the femicide suspect, Klaus Haas.

The Part about the Crimes

This part chronicles the murders of 112 women in Santa Teresa from 1993 to 1997 and the lives they lived. It also depicts the police force in their mostly fruitless attempts to solve the crimes, as well as giving clinical descriptions of the circumstances and probable causes of the various homicides. One of the policemen focused on is Juan de Dios Martínez, who is having a relationship with the older Elvira Campo (the head of a sanitarium) and who also has to investigate the case of a man, aptly nicknamed "The Penitent," who keeps urinating and defecating in churches. Klaus Haas (the German femicide suspect Fate was to interview in "the part about Fate") is another of the characters this part focuses on. Haas calls a press conference where he claims that Daniel Uribe, son of a rich local family, is responsible for the murders.

The Part about Archimboldi

This part reveals that the mysterious writer Archimboldi is really Hans Reiter, born in 1920 in Prussia. This section describes how a provincial German soldier on the Eastern Front became an author in contention for the Nobel Prize. Mrs. Bubis, who was introduced in the first part, turns out to have been Baroness von Zumpe; her family were a major part of Archimboldi's childhood, since his mother cleaned their country home and young Hans spent a lot of time with the Baroness's cousin, Hugo Halder, from whom he learned about the artistic life. Reiter meets the Baroness again during the war while in Romania, and has an affair with her after the war (she is then married to Bubis, the publisher). At the end of this part Bolaño's narrator describes the life of Lotte, Archimboldi's sister, and it is revealed that the femicide suspect Klaus Haas is her son and thus Archimboldi's nephew.

From the January 1917 issue of ''The Moving Picture World'':

Sheriff Crane's wife and child are preparing for a little journey with their wagon and team. On arriving at the store, the wife, on attempting to get out, stumbles and startles the horses, which causes them to run away, the child hanging on to the wagon. This is seen by Harry, who gives chase, captures the runaway horses, and returns the child, unhurt, to the mother, she returns home to tell her husband of the bravery of the stranger. Harry stops at the saloon kept by Vesta, which is patronized by rough Bill and his gang. While there a poor old man enters accompanied by a dog. He begs for something to eat for himself and the animal, saying that the dog, will do tricks in payment. After the performance Bill abuses the dog. Bill strikes the old man and is called to account by Harry. There is a struggle and the gun explodes, killing the old man, but before dying, the latter gives his dog to Harry, begging him to care for it. Harry leaves with the dog and a threat from Bill. Later, Harry returns and there is a general fight. The gang get after Harry but escapes. Later he is shot and falls from the horse. The latter races on and crawls in the brush. The gang, misled, ride on. They meet the sheriff and tell him of the affair. Vesta is called away by one of the men. The dog enters, sneaks the bacon Vesta was cutting and takes it to Harry. Vesta cannot understand how the bacon has disappeared. The following day the same thing occurs but the dog is seen by Vesta, who shoots, wounding him in the leg. He follows and sees him take the food to Harry. He returns to the saloon and tells the gang. Harry is captured and brought to the saloon to be lynched. He is seen by the sheriff's wife. She explains to her husband that he is the man who saved their child's life. The sheriff gives Harry his horse and allows him to depart.

Prologue: The Adventure Begins

Amon Labao, the matriarch of the planet Igbao in the galaxy Harraio, orders her subjects to conduct extensive experiments upon humans, their first being the abducted Ruth Abelgas. However, one scientist, Irroian, aids in her escape, and the pair fall in love, leading to Ruth giving birth to Eskappar.

When the Council determines that Ruth must be executed, Irroian seeks the help of his friend Agaddon in returning her to Earth, but a Council spy named Maraam learns that Ruth is with Irroian and arrests him. Meanwhile, Agaddon escapes with Ruth to Earth, and is determined by the Council to be the "actual" traitor.

Once released, Irroian continues to raise Eskappar in Harraio, but because Eskappar assumes human form, Irroian eventually attempts to escape with him to Earth for fear for his son's life. Irroian is shot by Maraam's guards during the attempt, but he manages to send Eskappar to Earth with Butao, a robot containing a recording of Irroian with instructions for Eskappar to search for Ruth.

After Eskappar lands on Earth, he sees a man, Caloy, and follows him. However, when Caloy falls into a surging river, Eskappar uses his elasticity to save Caloy's life. Caloy eventually assumes that Eskappar is a lost foreigner, and takes him home, where he names him "Miguel" and raises him. Several years later, Miguel witnesses the death of his foster father, and decides to become Lastikman.

Chapter 1: Mothra

Susan Navarro, an ex-beauty queen and interior decorator, is kidnapped by Agaddon and transformed into "Mothra," a moth-like monster that spreads respiratory illnesses and manipulates men. She later appears in a park, where she infects passersby and kills them. A photographer named Albert chances upon the scene and is left alive by Mothra to spread the story of the virus outbreak. Later that evening, Susan's mother recognizes her as Mothra from a photograph in a newspaper and wonders if this is a punishment for her relationship with Danny. At the same time, Evilone Pharmaceutical offers to find a cure for Mothra's victims.

Meanwhile, Miguel is depressed because Yellena is planning to reconcile with Ken. He avoids his friends and takes a day off to take his mind off Yellena. When his friends check on him that evening, Miguel announces that he wants to drop out of school. However, his friends dissuade him from his rash decision. The next day, Miguel returns to school and is again attracted to Yellena. Though Yellena is still intent on reconciling with Ken, he is busy practicing sports, and Miguel sees the situation as an opportunity to be close to Yellena by consoling her.

Chapter 2: Beautiki/Byutiki

Ines Samantela, a teacher at POPU college, is found by Agaddon and voluntarily transformed into "Beautiki (Byutiki)", a lizard-like creature that can use acid to melt her victims away. She uses her new-found power to destroy those who she believed had hurt her, including one of her relatives.

Chapter 3: Alingasaw

A paparazzo named Albert Langitan is tasked to tail Lastikman and secretly photograph him. However, he is found by Agaddon and transformed into "Alingasaw", manipulator of insects and worms.

Chapter 4: Morphino

Mang Ninoy, a sari-sari store owner in Bgy. Bagong Unlad, is found by Agaddon and talked into being transformed into "Morphino". He can transform to resemble others, and uses this ability to impersonate and discredit Lastikman.

Chapter 5: Lagablab

Ryan White, Yellena's older brother, was angry at Miguel, blaming him for her death and his mother Ayessa's stroke. Jared convinced him to turn into "Lagablab", controller of fire. Jared had also turned the rest of the Foremen into Ryan's minions to destroy Lastikman. Still, Lastikman managed to defeat the Foremen. Infuriated, Jared had other plans in mind in order to acquire his ultimate soldier.

Chapter 6: Frosta

After witnessing the murder of her son Ryan in Lastikman's hands, the half-dead Ayessa White allowed herself to be under Jared's command. Jared turns her into a manipulator of ice and heals her paralysis. She calls herself "Frosta".

Chapter 7: Elemento

Because his stone, Liwata, was completed, Jared Evilone was able to use it to unlock the powers of fire, wind, earth, and water. He turns into "Elemento", master of the elements, in order to battle Lastikman for Ruth's attention and love as well as to finish his empire's completion.

He was weakened upon the removal of his completed stone, Liwata, but as he was left for dead, Toto listened to his instructions and brought about Elemento's final transformation.

Set in the town of Driftwood, the film begins when Pete McGuire, known by the alias "Lone Jack" arrives in town and molests Kitty Flanders. Sheriff Cheyenne Harry intervenes and knocks down McGuire and takes Kitty Flanders to her home. McGuire becomes aware that Sheriff Harry's deputy, Horton, is out to arrest him and McGuire hides out on a shack on Flanders' claim. Horton is later killed, apparently by Mr. Flanders, and McGuire offers to keep quiet in exchange that he gives him half a stake in the claim and have Kitty Flanders marry him. Later, Sheriff Harry learns that Horton was killed by a 44-Calibre round. Mr. Flanders confesses to Sheriff Harry that he shot and killed Horton, but the sheriff points out that his gun was of a different size. Sheriff Harry notices that McGuire's gun is a 44-Calibre and accuses him of killing Horton. McGuire and an accomplice attempt to escape, but are killed by the Sheriff in a fight. Kitty Flanders confesses her love to Sheriff Cheyenne as she bandages his wounds.

The lead character is Rol Cortishane. His mother was Amelie, supposedly a descendant of the Weren race, a pre-human race with superhuman qualities, often referred to as Angels or Demons. The Weren bred with humans when their numbers diminished thousands of years ago and so many humans thenceforth contained Weren blood, sometimes merely making them beautiful and talented individuals, sometimes warping their bodies into monsters called the Fallen or Half-Trolls.

Amelie's parents, Ardisan and Emilia, were of the former descendants. However it is later revealed that Amelie is actually an ancient, powerful, violent spirit cast into pure Weren form and given a soul.

Rol's father is actually the last of the original Weren, Cambrius Orr, who fled to undiscovered lands because all his half-human children were Fallen and he wished to protect them from being slain to purify the Weren blood. He set himself up as the Mage-King of Kull and has survived for thousands of years in order to sire Rol. How he met Amelie is not yet known. Both his parents, therefore, have pure Weren blood, so Rol is not at all human, but rather an “Angel” of sorts.

Rol was brought up by his grandfather, Ardisan, on the fishing island of Dennifrey, with two “foster parents”, Morin and Ayd. These too are actually Golems created by Ardisan's magic to protect Rol as a child. He was taught nothing of his heritage, believing he was a human, but was socially isolated from other children because of his Weren blood, which usually forms a mental barrier between ordinary people and Rol. In one particularly stormy winter, whilst Rol (now 15) is caring for his family's boat, the ''Eyrie'', he is visited by a strange man, possibly an incarnation of the Secondary god (i.e. a divinity who was not the Supreme God, the Creator) of storms, Ran. This man marks Rol's hand after a confusing conversation. Then he vanishes.

Rol returns to his home to find it threatened by a mob who felt that Ardisan had summoned the appalling weather with his magic. Such a mob had previously killed Rol's grandmother, Emilia. They attack the house, and eventually slay the Golems, but Ardisan and Rol flee, after the former is wounded by a crossbow bolt. He tells Rol to flee to a man called Michael Psellos in the foreign city of Ascari before dying. Rol sails there over several days on the Eyrie.

Rol quickly finds Psellos’ abode in a Tower on the outskirts of the city. However, he is badly wounded by a young woman answering the door, who we later learn to be Rowen. When he recovers, Psellos makes him a low servant in his household. However, one day Rowen, who is Psellos’ assassin and prostitute as well as apprentice, doesn't return from an assignment. Psellos goes to check on her and Rol follows. He ends up rescuing Rowen, killing three criminals in the process. Thence Psellos tells him of his Weren blood and has Rowen train him as a killer, at which he excels.

Rowen falls in love with Rol and, after having sex, they plot together to kill the evil Psellos with some aid. They succeed, but a remnant of Psellos, made by his magic, informs them that they share the same mother, Amelie, hence committing incest. This obviously drives the pair apart, although they still love each other.

Rol then becomes a seaman in despair. After 7 years, he encounters an old friend, Gallico the Half-Troll. They are forced to go to the pirate city of Ganesh Ka, which they come to protect from the Empire of Bionar.

Later another face from the past comes from Bionar to seek Rol's aid. Rowen has become its Queen and needs help to secure her kingdom. He goes to help, but all is not as it seems...

As described in a film magazine review, John Gregg (Witting) and his daughter Mary (Du Brey) become lost and accept the guidance of Miguel Hernandez (Steele), a good-looking bad man. Mary takes a liking to the bad man and will have nothing to do with Cheyenne Harry (Carey), a bad-looking good man. Miguel robs John of his gold and takes Mary to Burro Springs. Henry follows and kills Miguel to protect Mary, and takes John's gold off the body of Miguel. Mary realizes that looks can be deceiving.

As described in a film magazine, Noisy Jim (Corey), a British officer, is anxious to purchase Cactus Peter, the horse belonging to Cheyenne Harry (Carey), but Harry refuses to sell. Harry meets Flora Belle (Astor) one night at the dance hall. Since its pay day, Harry spends all of his money on her, and when he runs out she looks around for someone else who still has money to spend.

Angered, Harry goes out, sells Cactus Pete, and returns with more money. When he awakens the next day from his drunken stupor and realizes what he has done, he is consumed with regret and goes to recover his horse. He steels his horse, but is ordered shot for the act. When the fatal hour nears, the British officer relents and Harry is allowed to go free.

The film is set during the blitz in London.

Peggy (Vera Lynn) is a young dancer in a London music hall. When the audience are invited to stay in the hall during a raid she is invited to sing to entertain them and is praised for her singing voice. Peggy's best male friend Frank Foster is an aspiring songwriter and they work together on new tunes, largely in the big band style. Meanwhile, she encourages the young boy in the family to leave London as part of the evacuation plans.

Although she's reluctant at first to sing, she finally does, debuting with a song "After the Rain".

An old school friend, the kilt-wearing Bruce McIntosh, returns on leave from the Scots Guards and starts to seeing Peggy. However, he confesses his love is for Peggy's friend, Ruth. Peggy reunites them and sings Ave Maria at their wedding.

Peggy and her friend record a demo of a tune they wrote and it accidentally gets played on BBC radio. Frank gets a letter inviting him to the BBC but they explain they are interested only in the singer. Peggy insists, successfully, that they give Frank a contract too.

She quickly becomes a star. She makes a special radio broadcast on St Andrew's Day. She makes a dedication to Bruce and tells him he is a father, but she later is told he did not hear it as he was on patrol and is now missing in action. However it turns out he was only wounded.

Peggy and Frank give an open air concert to several hundred RAF crew, singing "Sincerely Yours" and "We'll Meet Again" and the film ends.

At the end of the 19th century in the Far West, a farmer is fighting for his right to plough the plains. In order to expel the farmers, the ranchers try to control access to water.

When Richard Bellamy is unable to go with his wife to an opera because he has to attend a political meeting, adding to the friction which has already developed between them over Richard's political stance, he asks Charles Hammond, a friend of his son James, who is fanatical about opera, to go instead. They greatly enjoy the opera, and each other's company. They meet again a few days later in a bookshop, and Charles asks her to read him "Ode To A Nightingale" by Keats. They go to his house, where she reads and plays the piano for him. Charles admits that he loves her, and she admits that she cares for him as well. They begin to have an affair, which the servants get wind of, in spite of Lady Marjorie's attempts to hide it- she burns the note that comes with the bouquet of roses which Charles sends her. They discover a boxful of letters. We see Charles and Marjorie in bed together, and dancing to a gramophone together. Charles wants to make the affair public, and badgers Marjorie to divorce Richard. Marjorie insists that the affair be kept secret a while longer. James and Charles plan to attend a regatta. Hudson, the Butler, sees news of a regatta accident in the papers, and goes to tell Marjorie. She bursts into tears, and Hudson and Richard assume that she is worried about James. Charles comes to tell Marjorie that he is alright, but Richard walks in on them as they are embracing- they break apart just in time, and Richard assumes that Charles is there on James' behalf. But James returns and reveals that he was unable to attend the regatta after all, because he had to stand in court in place of a friend, who "got the collywobbles" at the last minute. Richard is angry with James for not informing Marjorie, but James insists that he phoned her at lunch. Richard begins to piece together what has happened. Rather than losing his temper with his wife, he tells her that he has changed his political stance, as it is a question of loyalty. Marjorie realises he is right, and she must also be loyal- she sends a note to Charles, asking her to meet him at the opera, and there, she ends the affair, bidding him a tearful farewell. He gives her a pendant, and she dissolves into sobbing after he has left.

As described in a film magazine, Cheyenne Harry (Carey) escapes from prison and while escaping comes upon the body of a young girl (Janes) that was thrown by a runaway horse. He picks her up and is proceeding on his way when his horse is frightened and bolts down a steep hillside. Harry, realizing the danger the girl is in, gives himself up so that she can receive care. Her mother Molly (Sterling) has secretly married Harry Beaufort (Foster) and it is her mother's brother who arrests Harry. The mother has been told that her little girl is dead and she loses her reason. At a church bazaar the girl is to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. Mother and daughter recognize each other and the mother's mind is restored. Through the assistance of Harry, the mother and her husband are reunited. The sheriff is happy to find that the girl Annabelle is his niece and in appreciation of Harry's kindness allows him to go free.

As described in a film magazine, Cheyenne Harry (Carey), in his search for food, breaks into the home of Grant Young (Rattenberry) and his daughter Molly (Malone), who recognizes him as the man who held up the train she was traveling on but then allowed her to keep a brooch, a gift from her mother. Grant gives him a chance to make good by becoming an employee on the ranch. Harry enters a horse race contest to get enough money to visit his mother, but Ben Kent, a road agent and an old friend of Harry, cuts his stirrups. Grant forces Harry to assist in holding up a stage coach, and after Kent kills the driver of the coach, both he and Harry are arrested. A message announcing the pending arrival of Harry's mother (Townsend) results in the postponement of Harry's hanging for a couple of weeks, and Harry is allowed by the sheriff (Steele) to make use of Grant's ranch and daughter to deceive Harry's mother, as Harry had stated in his letters to her that he was an honorable man. After his mother's departure, a telegram arrives that exonerates Harry, and he rushes to see Molly.

Thirteen years ago, on Valentine's Day at the local lovers lane, Dee-Dee (Diedre Kilgore) and Jimmy (Carter Roy) are making out in their car when a maniac wielding a steel hook attacks them. The pair escape the car and find another couple, Harriet and Ward, slaughtered in the car next to theirs. Soon after, psychiatrist Jack Grefe (Richard Sanders) arrives, along with Sheriff Tom Anderson (Matt Riedy), who is distraught to find his wife, Harriet, is one of the lovers who has been murdered. The killer, Ray Hennessey (Ed Bailey) is caught, and revealed to be one of Jack's patients who had an obsession with Harriet. Ray is incarcerated in a nearby state institution for the criminally insane and gains the nickname "The Hook".

In present day, Jack's popular daughter Chloe (Sarah Lancaster) and Tom's socially awkward daughter Mandy (Erin J. Dean) attend the local high school together. During a class, Chloe hears her boyfriend Michael (Riley Smith) is planning to break up with her. In a fit of rage Chloe attempts to drown Michael in the pool. Jack is quickly called into the school about his daughters actions where he meets with Principal Penny Lamson (Suzanne Bouchard). Chloe is suspended from the school, while Michael is grounded by his mother, Principal Penny. Soon after, "The Hook" retrieves his weapon and escapes the mental institution. Upon hearing this news, Sheriff Tom warns Penny, as her husband had been having the affair with Harriet and was murdered along with her.

Later that night, Michael sneaks out of his room to meet his friends, including Chloe, Mandy, Bradley (Ben Indra), cheerleader Janelle (Anna Faris), joker Doug (Billy O'Sullivan) and couple Cathy (Megan Hunt) and Tim (Collin F. Peacock) at the bowling alley. Also there is Deputy David Schwick (Michael Shapiro), whom Sheriff Tom has put in charge of keeping Chloe and Mandy safe. After a while, Chloe, in an attempt to make Michael jealous, leaves with Bradley to go to lovers lane. As the pair travel in their car, Chloe enters a store, not realising the owner is murdered as she departs. Deputy David also enters the shop, only to be killed as well. Meanwhile, Penny discovers Michael is missing from his bedroom and alerts Sheriff Tom.

Meanwhile, Mandy, Michael, Janelle, Doug, Cathy and Tim arrive at lovers lane. The group find Bradley's car, only to discover he and Chloe have been murdered, before the hook arrives and stabs Tim to death. As the others try to escape in their car, Doug crashes into a tree, knocking everyone unconscious. After waking up, Mandy and Michael find the others gone. They travel to a nearby farmhouse where they arm themselves with a gun and find Janelle and Doug, who has broken his leg. While Janelle tends to Doug's injury, Mandy and Michael go to the barn to retrieve the missing owners car. Back inside, Janelle begins to hear noises before the hook smashes through a window. Janelle runs upstairs and barricades herself in a room, but the hook gets in and slaughters her. The hook then kills Doug.

In the barn, Michael and Mandy manage to get the car started. As Michael begins to drive he accidentally runs over Cathy, killing her. The pair re-enter the house and find Doug and Janelle dead before the hook attacks them. They lock themselves in the kitchen, and turn the gas on, before escaping out a window. As the hook opens the door, a match is sparked and the house blows up. Sheriff Tom and Penny go to Jack's house where they find a shrine devoted to Mandy, before rushing to lovers lane. At the farmhouse, Michael and Mandy take the owners car and begin to travel into town. On the way, they find Chloe still alive, who urges them to return to lovers lane as Bradley has also survived. Upon arrival, Mandy leaves Michael and Chloe in the car, only to find Bradley is actually dead, before she is dragged away into a bush. In the car, Chloe attacks Michael with a hook, revealing herself as the killer. Michael escapes, but as Chloe exits she is slaughtered by an unseen figure.

Mandy is forced into a car by her attacker, revealed to be Jack who tells her he was the one that had killed Mandy's mother, Harriet, and had survived the explosion at the farmhouse. Michael saves Mandy, and as a fight breaks out, Tom and Penny arrive and shoot Jack before Mandy kills him with a hook.

The next day at lovers lane, Mandy and Michael are medically checked before they leave. Tom and Penny enter a police car, that is revealed to be driven by Ray, "The Hook".

A man vanishes without a trace. His lover, a married, successful politician, discreetly contacts private investigator Varg Veum for assistance. Varg finds her lover murdered, and the politician's husband is arrested for the murder. However, Varg accuses the police of miscarriage of justice and gets involved in an international murder case branching out far beyond Norwegian borders, with adversaries who will stop at nothing.

Kurogane tells the tale of "Hitokiri Jintetsu", a boy just in his teens who has become renowned for his swordsmanship and his proficiency in killing, despite his young age. After getting revenge on his father's murderer, Jintetsu is forced to constantly flee from bounty hunters who wish to collect the price on his head. Despite the skill of these killers, none are capable of besting him in combat, and he's consistently victorious. The deaths that lay in wake earn him the "Hitokiri" moniker. Unfortunately, as fate would have it, he ends up meeting his fate not by someone of equal or even greater skill, but rather by a pack of wild dogs. Though he eventually slays them all, he is fatally wounded.

A ronin named Genkichi finds him in his final moments, and he tells the man that he is ready to die so he should hurry up and finish him off. Genkichi informs him that he has no intention of killing him since his wounds will take care of that anyway. When Jintetsu finally dies of blood loss, the former samurai brings him back to his home and actually manages to revive him. However, there is a horrible catch. A great portion of the boy's body was destroyed, so in order to compensate, Genkichi constructed a partially mechanized body of steel and wood (though there is an inconsistency where the first chapter of manga shows him with a ''fully'' mechanical body, while the end of the manga portrays him as only be ''partly'' mechanical). Although he also managed to repair most of the killer's nerves and motor functions, he is unable to repair his vocal cords and right eye, slightly impairing the swordsman's abilities and making him mute. Jintetsu does not take to his revival kindly, but is forced into inaction since he isn't used to his body just yet. He is then given new clothes to hide his appearance, and a new sword that Genkichi also notes as being mechanized.

Eventually, Jintetsu comes to accept his existence, though he later finds out Genkichi only built him to prove to his former master his ingenuity. His creator then dies after getting his revenge on the said master, apologizing to the assassin for using him before succumbing to his wounds. Jintetsu, surprisingly, seems to forgive him, burying him rather than leaving his corpse as it lay. He then uses the sword he had given him as a grave marker, and begins to walk away from the scene. However, before he can leave the area, the sword speaks and implores Jintetsu to not leave his equipment behind and to take him with him. Though surprised, he obliges, and the sword reveals his name to be Haganemaru, and that he can read Jintetsu's thoughts since the two share a mind. Therefore, not only is he his weapon, but can also speak for him on his behalf. The manga then follows their adventures as Jintetsu works as an assassin-for-hire and Haganemaru as his instrument of death. All the while he is trying to throw away his past, and escape from the various people who are seeking vengeance for what he had done. Along the way he meets a particularly determined young girl named Makoto, who wants to avenge the destruction of her family, and subsequently ends up becoming a makeshift companion. He also earns the nickname of "Jintetsu of Steel" for his metallic face, which many assume is a mask despite it actually being an irremovable part of his body since his revival.

Alec of Kerry, a young hunter who has recently been orphaned, is taken prisoner under the false charge of spying. He ends up sharing a cell with Seregil, a seemingly youthful spy and noble from the exotic city of Rhiminee, who has the ability to assume various guises and trick his way out of tight situations. The two escape together, and Seregil, motivated by something he does not entirely understand, takes Alec on as his apprentice in thieving, spying and trickery. They head south towards Rhiminee, where Seregil will report on his mission to the wizard Nysander, the head of a covert group of spies known as "Watchers."

But along the way, Seregil falls ill under the influence of a mysterious magic. Alec is forced to navigate their way south on his own, testing his limited resources and knowledge of the world outside his rustic homeland. When the cause of Seregil's illness finally becomes known (an ordinary wooden disk imbued with a powerful curse) it is almost too late to save his life. In his unconscious state, Seregil experiences visions of a dark entity known as the "Empty God," foreshadowing the designs of the evil Duke Mardus, who wishes to obtain the god's power for himself.

In Rhiminee, the capital of Skala, Nysander heals Seregil and takes possession of the disk. Once recovered, Seregil reassumes his role as mentor to Alec, teaching him how to be a successful thief and spy. Alec meets Beka Cavish, a friend of Seregil's and member of the Queen's elite Horse Guard, and he and Seregil carry out odd jobs for the scandal-ridden nobles and citizens of Rhiminee under the guise of the "Rhiminee Cat." Seregil learns of a prophecy in which he is to become "father, brother, friend and lover" to Alec, and Alec discovers that Seregil is Aurenfaie, a race of long-lived peoples inhabiting the distant and exotic realm of Aurenen, from which magic originates.

After Seregil is thrown into jail for supposedly writing treasonous letters against Queen Idrilain of Skala, it becomes clear that a plot is underway to overthrow the queen. Seregil briefly switches bodies with Thero, Nysander's apprentice, in order to assist Alec and Nysander in discovering the perpetrators. Their hunt eventually leads them to Lady Kassarie, a supporter of the "Lerans," a group of anti-Aurenfaie nobles who object to Idrilain's queenship (she is a distant descendant of Lord Corruth, an Aurenfaie consort). Alec manages to seduce a young servant of Kassarie's, allowing him and Seregil to break into her stronghold. Their discovery of Lord Corruth's decomposed skeleton, which Kassarie has set up for display like a trophy, reveals that the Lerans were behind the consort's disappearance, which had so strained the relations between Skala and Aurenen. A fight breaks out between the Skalans and the Lerans, but Nysander is able to transform Seregil and Alec into birds, ensuring their escape from Kassarie's stronghold. Kassarie is killed and Idrilain's place on the throne is preserved, but the novel ends with Nysander experiencing a vision of death and the Empty God, foreboding more dark times to come.

The Stooges are three hapless tramps. After nearly destroying a farmer's (Richard Fiske) pile of firewood, and destroying some of his equipment, they hit the road on foot. Curly wishes they had a car after they stop for a break. By accident they think they've found a car for free and take it. After driving around for a bit, and in their distraction nearly having a few collisions, the boys come to the assistance of the farm Widow Jenkins (Eva McKenzie) and her three daughters. Just as Curly had wished, she graciously gives them a huge meal and in return they offer to fix her broken outdoor water pump.

As the Stooges attempt to fix the pump, they discover oil hidden under the farm when the pump turns into an oil geyser, staining their clothes and spewing Curly high in the air. They are happy for the lady and her beautiful daughters, until she regretfully tells them she had just sold the farm. The Stooges realize she was cheated out of her land by a trio of swindlers (Dick Curtis, Eddie Laughton, James Craig). After a hair-raising road chase with the swindlers, they manage to retrieve the deed to the land before it is recorded at the court house, and are allowed to marry the now wealthy Widow Jenkins' daughters.

Anne Provoost's novels are invariably related from the point of view of a young person caught up in problems of adult making which they have difficulty comprehending. In this case, the teenage Lucas is taken on a long summer visit to his late grandfather’s home in the Ardennes by his mother. He has been brought up by her in ignorance of the fact that during World War II his grandfather had informed on the nuns in the local convent who were harbouring Jewish children. He is therefore at a loss to understand the conflicting attitudes he encounters in the town. He is particularly targeted by the political activist Benoit, for whom his grandfather was a hero, and persuaded to take reluctant part in a couple of right-wing actions against the Moroccan immigrants who have taken over a run-down quarter of the town.

In the meantime he has befriended the young American-born Caitlin, who dreams of becoming a dancer. She is in fact the daughter of one of the children betrayed by his grandfather, all of whom had survived Auschwitz. She also stands for liberal attitudes and as an outsider too is not tainted by the small-town narrow mindedness from which Lucas has to suffer. Just as he is preparing to commit himself to Caitlin and what she stands for, she is involved in a crash and Lucas is only able to rescue her from the burning car by sawing off her trapped foot. At first he is treated as a hero, but Benoit, fearing denunciation by Lucas, uses his position as a journalist to question his actions.

The plot of the novel has three times been adapted for theatre: in Brussels (1997), Hamme (2003) and Amsterdam (2006). In addition it was made into an English-language feature film in 2001 by Hans Herbots. Among the liberties taken with the text was the decision to move the scene of action, rather more credibly, to the south of France and the hint of a resolution through forgiveness not present in the novel.

While shopping in a toy store, Cartman sees a boy named Thomas who continuously shouts obscenities, as his mother and other shoppers try to explain to Cartman that he has Tourette syndrome (TS). Cartman decides to pretend he has the disorder as well so he can get away with shouting obscenities himself, and successfully convinces his mother and a doctor, who diagnoses him with TS and notifies the school. Kyle quickly deduces that Cartman is faking; Cartman admits the truth to him but continues to enjoy the deception. When Kyle complains to Principal Victoria, a visiting representative from a TS foundation misinterprets his statement as an allegation that all people with TS are faking. Kyle is sent to a meeting of a local support group for children with the disorder, who explain that they truly cannot control their various tics and outbursts. Realizing that Cartman has manipulated everyone else around him into believing the scam, and seeing no way to disprove it, Kyle reluctantly apologizes to the group and to Cartman. However, Cartman takes advantage of the situation to scream vulgar anti-Semitic remarks at Kyle's parents. Thomas soon realizes that Cartman is faking the disorder when he says to Thomas, "Isn't having Tourettes awesome?".

Cartman decides to appear on ''Dateline NBC'' and be interviewed by Chris Hansen, with the intention of making an anti-Semitic hate speech while being commended for his bravery in living with TS. However, at a congratulatory dinner beforehand, he inadvertently blurts out embarrassing true details from his past. Realizing that he has lost the ability to censor himself after saying whatever comes to his mind for so long, he tries to cancel the ''Dateline'' interview for fear of humiliating himself, but Hansen intimidates him into going ahead with it by telling him about a pedophile who tried to back out of appearing on the series ''To Catch a Predator''. He shot himself after the production crew tracked him down; Hansen insinuates that the man was actually murdered and that the same will happen to Cartman if he backs out. Realizing that he has no way to avoid going on ''Dateline'', Cartman prays for a miracle while at the same time blaming God for his predicament.

Meanwhile, Kyle teams up with Thomas, who is worried that Cartman's appearance on the show will make others think TS is fun and copy him. Not knowing that Cartman has already given up on his plan, the two boys use the Internet to solicit multiple pedophiles to visit the television studio. The pedophiles all shoot themselves upon entering the studio and seeing Hansen on stage, causing the audience to panic and flee. Outside, Craig offers to hang out with Thomas and do his laundry. As Kyle gloats to Cartman over foiling his plan, Cartman tearfully thanks him for preventing him from having to humiliate himself on live television. Kyle realizes that he has lost a chance to see Cartman brought low and exclaims "Ah, shit!" at the same time with Thomas.

The vivacious 11-year-old Siss lives in a rural community in Norway. Her life is changed when a quiet girl, Unn, moves to the village to live with her aunt after the death of her unmarried mother. Siss and Unn can't wait to meet. They finally do, at Unn's house. They talk for a while, Unn shows Siss a picture from the family album of her father, then Unn persuades Siss that they should undress, just for fun. They do, watching each other, and Unn asks whether Siss can see if she is different. Siss says no, she can't, and Unn says she has a secret and is afraid she will not go to heaven. Soon they dress again, and the situation is rather awkward. Siss leaves Unn and runs home, overwhelmed by fear of the dark.

Unn does not want to feel embarrassed when meeting Siss the next day, so she decides to skip school and instead goes to see the ice castle that has been created by a nearby waterfall. Ice castles are normal in cold winters, when the water freezes into huge structures around waterfalls. Unn climbs into this ice castle, exploring the rooms baffled by its beauty. In the 7th room she gets disoriented and cannot find her way out. She dies of hypothermia. Her last word is "Siss".

When the search for Unn remains fruitless, people wonder if Siss knows more about the disappearance than she lets on. They wonder what had passed between them the night before. Siss on her part is overwhelmed by loss and loneliness, and makes a promise that she will never forget Unn. Therefore, Siss takes upon herself the role Unn had: standing alone in the school yard refusing to play or speak. Thus, she has to find her way out of her own emotional ice castle, before she can continue on the road towards adolescence and adulthood.

An unnamed woman travels back to her home after caring for an ill neighbor in Maine and notices a white apparition floating in the air that sighs, "''The Lord have mercy on the people!''" She continues on until she reaches a point where a gap of fallen trees allows twilight to enter in the form of diffused light. Suddenly, a shadow races past her and before she knows it she is taken captive by the Indian Devil, a savage, legendary black panther. It grabs her and lifts her onto the bough of a tree.

She begins thinking of her husband, her best friend. Then, in an effort to call to her husband and save herself, she sings to the beast. As she does, the beast dances around and releases its firm grip around her, but it still keeps hold. Any time she pictures her husband or her child, she ceases from singing and the beast returns to its ferocious ways and tortures the woman.

As the beast continues to attack and subdue her, she begins to come to terms with her life and her religion. At first she questions God, but eventually realizes that if He feels it is her time to pass then she will accept that and accept that this is the way of nature.

Meanwhile, her husband, caring for their child, becomes exceedingly worried for her as she has been gone for much longer than expected. He soon decides to attempt an adventure into the woods, with his baby in one arm and his shotgun in the other.

Eventually, he finds his wife being assaulted by the panther and, after much planning for the perfect shot at the monster, he hits it dead on and the two fall, with it under her. The three embrace one another and return to their home, finding their community in complete desolation and its people dead from the 'true Indian Devils,' leaving the readers to the final line of the tale:

For the rest,—the world was all before them, where to choose.

Ross Harte, publicity writer, is investigating the person behind a classified ad seeking a haunted house for sale. When it turns out to be his old friend The Great Merlini, Harte drops by his store, The Magic Shop, looking for an explanation. Harte and Merlini are soon swept up into a complex and bizarre plot involving the death of Linda Skelton, an agoraphobic heiress, at her home on Skelton Island, a tiny island in the East River of New York City. The plot soon expands to involve a psychic researcher and his favourite medium, a group of treasure hunters seeking a sunken treasure, counterfeit golden guinea coins, a man with blue skin (argyria), a gangster named Charles Lamb, a second murder by "the bends", and a murder scene with a set of neat footprints marching across the ceiling. Merlini survives more than one attempt on his life before he can call in the police and conclusively bring the crimes home to the guilty.

Beautiful young Pauline Hannum, daughter of the late Major Hannum and a performer with his circus, enters The Magic Shop run by The Great Merlini and is suspiciously willing to pay much more than the going price for the immediate delivery of a "Headless Lady" illusion. Merlini and his writer friend Ross Harte decide to investigate, drawn by Merlini's love of circuses. They soon learn that Major Hannum's death was probably a murder, and that the killer seems to have unfinished, and deadly, business that involves a real headless lady whose head has disappeared. Merlini, Harte and a new associate, detective writer Stuart Towne, soon learn a number of interesting background facts about goings-on at the circus—including why it's bad luck for the circus orchestra to play Suppé's ''Light Cavalry March'', what the mummified body of John Wilkes Booth is composed of, and how to create fingerprints that have no loops or whorls. Merlini must use his magic skills to escape from an "escape-proof" jail, assemble the suspects, and identify the murderer in a surprising final scene.

Category:1940 American novels Category:Novels by Clayton Rawson

Ross Harte, newspaperman and friend to The Great Merlini, has finally fallen in love—with Kathryn Wolff, daughter of irascible millionaire Dudley Wolff. Dudley decides to put huge obstacles in the path of Kathryn's romance, including disinheriting her. But most of his life is taken up with his investigations into the nature of death. To that end, he's filled his country estate with his second wife (a former medium), an experimental biologist, and a number of other odd characters. When a private detective decides to blackmail Wolff, he won't stand for it; he strikes the man, who falls to the floor dead. Wolff forces his hangers-on to help him bury the little man—who comes back to haunt Wolff, and forces him to call in The Great Merlini to explain the situation. Merlini has to explain a spirit photograph, a vase broken by ghostly means, Dudley's shooting, the identity of "Zareh Bey, the Man who Could Not Die", a murder by dry ice, why Ross should have been tied hand and foot and thrown into Long Island Sound, and where a professional medium can conceal a gun that no one else can. Finally Merlini works out the causes of the ghostly apparitions, identifies Dudley's murderer, and makes it possible for Harte and Kathryn to get married.

The episode starts when Homer, dressed as a dragon, tries waking up Bart to go with him, Lisa, Marge and Maggie to the midnight sale of the last book in the Angelica Button series. The whole family then goes to stand in line (together with most of Springfield residents). At midnight Homer cannot wait; he bursts into the bookshop, followed by the rest of the people in the line. In the car on their way back home Lisa reads the book, announces there is a happy ending, and then the Simpsons throw the book away from the car. When they get back home, they decide to watch TV.

While watching TV, Marge sees a commercial for the Chazz Busby Ballet Academy, and reveals to Lisa that she had always wanted to become a ballet dancer. Lisa tells Marge that she can still achieve her dream as an adult, and encourages her to audition for the ballet academy. While Marge does stumble at first during her audition, she is able to prove herself as a talented dancer, and Busby lets her become a student at his school. Meanwhile, Homer takes Bart to the basement and introduces him to a secret room in which Homer has been making beef jerky. When Marge suffers a leg cramp during her dance routine, Busby throws her out. When Lisa argues with Busby about his decision, he notices that Lisa has naturally perfect posture, and asks her to join his academy, and Marge accepts the offer on Lisa's behalf. However, no matter how hard she practices, Lisa soon turns out to be a poor ballet student. While on break, Lisa accidentally inhales smoke from the other students' cigarettes. When the break is over, Lisa enters the studio and performs better than ever, and deduces that second hand smoke is what makes her excel.

Meanwhile, Homer and Bart offer to sell Apu their beef jerky to increase Kwik-E-Mart revenues despite Apu's Hinduism — but it is a lost cause, as Homer and Bart discover their beef jerky room is completely empty, and Apu leaves in frustration, refusing to do such business with them ever again. Homer discovers that a family of raccoons has made off with their jerky. That night, Lisa hallucinates of a cigarette-smoked shaped older version of herself, who convinces her to continue smoking. Lisa doubts the veracity of such a vision, until she is convinced by her feminist heroines by also seeing visions of them, all of whom were smokers. While driving Lisa to ballet practice, Marge — who is proud to have a ballerina as a daughter — starts glowing about how she sees herself in Lisa (even mistaking Lisa ''for'' herself), and Lisa starts suspecting that her mother's living her dream of being a ballerina through her.

Homer follows one of the raccoons into the family's home under a tree stump and prepares to take them out, despite Bart warning him that he always loses fights with animals, as his battle with the earthworms proved — but Homer claims that that was phased withdrawal, but after seeing that their family is basically the raccoon version of his family, Homer cannot bring himself to do it. During a windy break, Lisa cannot inhale any smoke. She realizes her only alternative is to actually ''smoke'' a cigarette, and picks one up. Right as she is about to smoke it, Homer arrives and takes it away, throws it on the ground, squishes it with his foot, and then shoots it with his gun several times. Appalled at his daughter's smoking, he goes to tell Marge that Lisa needs to be taken out of the ballet academy, but discovers how proud she is of Lisa; Homer cannot bear to destroy Marge's happiness. He does, however, order Lisa to quit smoking — including second hand — and has Bart keep an eye on her.

When Bart informs Homer that Lisa is still addicted to cigarette smoke, Homer creates a plan involving one of the raccoons. On the night of Lisa's ballet recital, which is ''Sleeping Beauty'', the raccoon breaks into the changing room and steals all the cigarettes and money. On stage, all the ballerinas soon go out of control, and Lisa tells the annoyed audience that ballet is something America has forced onto children, and quits (although she implied that she was going to talk about smoking, which was the main message of this episode, she states that she takes full responsibility for her decision to smoke instead of the usual "blame tobacco companies"), prompting Busby to also quit. Lisa finally manages to overcome her smoke addiction using children's 'Hello Kitty' nicotine patches. Marge also learns her lesson: parents should not try to achieve their dreams through their children, but Homer proves that he has yet to learn that moral, as he is forcing Bart to become a Mexican wrestler called '''El Guapo''', which means "good looking" in Spanish.

The novel is based on a story of a Muslim girl named Tanaya Shah; a young Indian girl mesmerized by western culture. She was raised by her mother and grandfather, as her father abandoned Tanaya's mother when Tanaya was a young child. Tanaya's grandfather treated Tanaya with the utmost respect. He treated her like his own daughter, but Tanaya still felt that she was neglected.

Because Tanaya's mother was abandoned, Tanaya's grandfather (Tanaya's mother's father) would remain extremely cautious of Tanaya's roundabouts. This became difficult for Tanaya, as she wanted to explore the world outside of Mahim; place she Tanaya was born and raised. Adding to this, Tanaya was born in a family where women had the best facial features. This was true for all women in her family, except for her mother. As the story progresses, we learn that Tanaya's mother was thought to have been abandoned because of this lacking feature. Unfortunately, Tanaya's mother was well aware of this fact, and thus hated Tanaya. Over the years, her mother had become sarcastic and cruel towards Tanaya. This was one of the reasons that Tanaya was more attached to her grandfather.

Getting back to Tanaya's fantasy of the western culture; like every young girl, Tanaya was also amazed by the glossy magazines that portrayed women in a stylish way. Tanaya with her best friend, Nilu, would read all western magazines, especially, ''Teen Cosmo.'' In private conversations with Nilu, she would often confide about leaving Mahim to Paris. She wanted to become like one of the models. However, modeling was not her passion. All she wanted was freedom, and a new change in her life.

Her grandfather saw it a bit differently. He attested this new change with her married life. Call it a fortunate event, but Tanaya received a proposal. He happened to be the son of Tanaya's grandfather's friend. His name was Tariq Khan, who happened to live in Paris. Tanaya saw this as an opportunity to see Paris.

Fate of luck strikes, and her grandfather allows her to visit Paris, where she became part of the modeling industry. (The book has a detailed account of the difficulties she faces to become a model).

In the end, Tanaya finally marries Tariq Khan, and realizes that she was pursuing rather a mere image of herself.

The novel takes place in a fictional location called the Isles of Bresal which are protected by a bank of mist called The Veil. On Bresal there are stables that train dragons. Cara, the protagonist, cleans dragons for the stable Dragonsdale. Many children attend Dragonsdale to learn to train dragons and take them to competitions, but Cara is forbidden to ride any dragon even though her father is the head of Dragonsdale. This is because her mother had died in an accident during a flight with dragons, and her father, Huw, couldn't afford to lose Cara as well. However, Cara is allowed to help clean the dragons, and she has a favorite one called Skydancer. She ends up having to train a young farm boy called Drane to muck out the stables and do all the things she does. But all is not what it seems about him as Cara and Drane slowly become better friends. Now, many children at Dragonsdale are preparing for the dragon riding competitions. Although Cara cannot participate in it, she supports her friends Breena and Wony.

Cara is still determined to convince her father to let her ride dragons and one day go to the competitions with Skydancer. ''Dragonsdale'' follows Cara as she goes through obstacles, such as an arrogant child called Hortense, who is constantly making Cara mad, and finally achieves her goal when she buys Skydancer, but she loses control and declares he must be destroyed.

Cara runs away with Skydancer to the mountains. In the mountains, Cara loses her way and follows a path leading in the wrong direction. The path leads Cara off a cliff and she nearly falls off of it, but Skydancer takes the back of Cara's shirt and pulls her to safety, it is after that that Cara and Sky Hear the Firedogs and Howlers for the first time. When they hear the Firedogs and Howlers for a second time Cara finds out that Drane was following her. When they're being circled in by the Firedogs and Howlers Sky dancer runs out of flame and Drane encourages Cara to ride Skydancer. While Drane is trying to make Cara ride Skydancer Cara is encouraging Drane to ride Sky (Skydancer) and be saved from death as well. But Drane refuses.

While all this is happening, back in Dragonsdale Huw, Cara's father, is worried.

Back in the mountains, Drane finally gets Cara to ride Skydancer, but was picked up in Sky's talons! Together, Sky, Cara and Drane fly back to Dragonsdale after promising that they won't say that Cara rode Sky.

She secretly trains Skydancer to fly through obstacles. Hortense and Huw discover this and Huw bans Cara from riding Skydancer ever again. A competition comes up and Hortense is to ride Skydancer. Skydancer makes mistakes based on Hortenses confusing signals and they lose the competition. When Cara goes to the ring she sees Hortense yelling at Sky, then Hortense punishes him with a whip on the muzzle. Skydancer gets mad and gets ready to flame Hortense. Just on time, Cara stops Skydancer, and they decide to do the obstacle course together. Cara does an excellent job, but she knows her father is mad. Surprisingly, Huw lets Cara ride again and bans Hortense from riding Skydancer ever again. The dragon and dragonrider live happily ever after and fly off into the noon sun, at least until the novel's sequel. That is called Riding the Storm.

As described in a film magazine, Dave Bland (Steele), head of a band of cattle rustlers operating in Paradise Valley, is defied by Cheyenne Harry (Carey) who has driven his heard into the valley to graze. Bland calls his phantom riders together, routes Harry's cattle, and then seeks their owner intent on taking his life. The Unknown (Pegg), an influential member of the gang who has a grievance against Harry, claims the right to settle with him and this is agreed to. In the meantime, Molly Grant (Malone) prevails upon her father Pebble Grant (Connors) to warn Harry of the danger. The rustlers discover this and hang Grant, and Molly is forced to marry Bland. Hearing that Harry is in a nearby saloon, the gang rushes the place. A gunfight follows and Harry and his partner inflict many casualties. Rangers who were notified by Molly arrive and route the gang. The film ends with the distant chimes of wedding bells for Cheyenne Harry and Molly.

As described in a film magazine, Cheyenne Harry (Carey) and his pals, bent on helping their friend Rawhide Jack, attend a rodeo with the intent to win the prize for roping steers and to hand the winnings over to Jack. Harry wins, and after the rodeo the boys go to a cafe where they imbibe too freely in the flowing wine and fall asleep. Harry finds himself robbed and with the others shanghaied and aboard a ship. They mutiny and Harry becomes the captain. A shipboard fire results in them landing on a desert island, where the Queen (Mattox) of the Blackanwhites falls in love with Harry. He dodges her and runs off with her daughter the Princess (Malone). Just as he starts making love to her, he awakens from a dream, the product of Harry's legendarily prodigious drinking, and discovers that he is holding one of the sleeping cowboys.

Cheyenne Harry tries to help his outlaw friend Padden evade arrest after Padden has drunkenly shot another man. In the end, the two mismatched friends fight it out, leaving Padden dead. In a romantic subplot, Harry's fiancée Alice leaves him, but finally returns.

As described in a film magazine, "Kaintuck" Ridge (Carey), refused admission to the local militia to fight on the side of Union in the American Civil War, joins a gang of marauders and at the end of the conflict finds himself a fugitive with a price on his head. He goes west and becomes a bandit. Marley Calvert (Pegg), who kept Kaintuck out of the army, also goes west and takes up mining. Betty Calvert (Schade) is taken captive when Kaintuck holds up a stage coach. His hatred for the Calverts is overcome by his admiration for Molly (Malone) and later, when her honor is attacked by a former suitor, he defends her and wins her love.

The story deals with two European men, named Kayerts and Carlier, who are assigned to a trading post in a remote part of the African Jungle. There they take part in ivory trading, hoping to financially benefit the company as well as themselves. With no specific tasks or important things to be done, they both become increasingly isolated and demoralized as time goes by. At one point in the story, the native Makola, serving as Kayerts's and Carlier's bookkeeper, initiates an exchange of slaves for ivory. Initially Kayerts and Carlier are stunned and scandalized by the idea, yet eventually they accept the deal and aid Makola for his huge profit. Both men are plagued by disease and grow very weak physically towards the end of the story. Finally, a seemingly trivial matter – sugar – sparks an irrational, uncontrolled and violent conflict between them, and ends tragically as Kayerts accidentally shoots and kills Carlier. At the end of the story, just when the company steamboat approaches the station two months later than it should have, Kayerts hangs himself out of desperation.

As described in a film magazine, Bess Thurston (Gerber), whose no-account brother Jack (Pegg) is unable to support her, obtains employment in a dance hall. This shatters the illusions of Cheyenne Harry (Carey), who has fallen in love with her. When he rescues her from the advances of Beau Ross (Harris), Cheyenne's confidence in her is restored. Her brother then aids Beau in an attempted robbery and Harry allows them to escape. Beau takes Bess with him into the desert. Harry follows and a duel ensues in which they are both wounded. Bess rides the only horse left out of the desert, while Beau and Harry struggle along on foot. A sandstorm results in the death of Beau, but Harry lives to find happiness with Bess.

As described in a film magazine, Lin McLean (Carey), a cowboy, is a fool where women are concerned. He befriends Katie Lusk (Schade), a Denver "biscuit shooter", only to be rejected. Dishearted, he picks up a homeless boy, Tommy Lusk (Pegg), off the Denver streets and makes a pal of him. He learns that the boy's mother is none other than the woman who rejected him. Katy comes back into his life, vowing that she really loves him, but Lin has met Jessamine Buckner (Malone), the new station agent in the small town near where he works, and Lin realizes that she is the right woman. Katy commits suicide and Lin, Jessamine, and the boy start a new life together.

As described in a film magazine, Cheyenne Harry (Carey) is promised his liberty from prison if he will capture "dead or alive" Buck Masters (Harris), a worthless and desperate character. Harry agrees, and in short order he has won the confidence of the bad man and they agree to hold up the night stage coach. Harry tips off the sheriff and the tough is caught. Harry then finds that this has robbed a poor girl, Lola (Gerber), and her mother (Lafayette) of their only support. Harry relents and, with his two pals, they kidnap the thief from the sheriff's automobile and make off with him. Harry rides off to begin life anew with Lola, the desperado's sister.