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Ambitious young journalist Violet Maris secures a coveted residency at a prestigious artists'and writers'colony in 1980s Provincetown, armed with a file of stories written by a dear, older gay friend. Her intention: to write a captivating exposé based on these narratives. However, Violet's promising start at the colony takes a dark turn when tragedy strikes— her friend, the true author of the stories, succumbs to AIDS. This loss plunges Violet into turmoil, compounded by the weight of the terrible secret she carries. Compelled to confess, she confides in a member of the colony's board with whom she has become romantically involved. The revelation of her deception leads to Violet's expulsion from the program, leaving her grappling with disgrace and searching for a path toward redemption and reconciliation— with herself and those she has inadvertently hurt.

“My brain was famous, but I was not. Not every gifted child invents a pollutant-free fuel, paints a masterpiece, or finds the cure for cancer,” Jack MacLeod tells us. “Some of us just live out our lives.” Jack died in 1974; now, he's ready to narrate his story from beyond the grave. Jack's prodigious memory, which allows him to memorize books, and his penchant for psychic connections give him unusual insights into the events of his past life and make him fiercely curious about his current state of existence. Jack immerses us in interconnected tales of his childhood participation in a research study on the intellectually gifted, his dual career as a clinical psychologist and university professor, his participation in the unmasking of an unscrupulous colleague, his long-term health issues, his brief but life-changing love affair with a student, his deep friendship with another man, and his eventual acceptance and celebration of the circumstances of his fate. How Jack dies, and how he deals with the murder of someone close to him, mirrors how he has lived and grown, and marks the significance of everyone and everything that ultimately brings him to yet another level of brilliance.