A boy roams a bleak dystopia, seeking fruit.
"The boy had never tasted fruit in his whole life. When his mother grew too sick to work, he tied a bandanna around his head and waited in the slog farm lines. He was underage but passed through the checkpoint with her ID and no one looked."
A woman who works in road maintenance reflects on the dangers and pleasures of temperatures.
"37.5—at this temperature, the yearly tally of accidents officially due to inclement weather begins. This tally will only grow and grow."
The present and future collide with the romance,collaboration, and tensions of two college classmates.
"Right now, the beanbag thunks into Scott’s left palm. His eyes still itch and he feels the grief he’ll feel again at the end of the semester. A ghost Scott moves to shut the dorm room door. If he closes the door, he and Tony will never meet. Tony will never learn how to hurt Scott in a way that only he can be hurt. Tony will never hurt him in a way that anyone can be hurt."
