"One thing Alice knew for sure--she needed to leave right now and take the child with her. Though the literal rain had stopped sometime during the night, she felt a flood rising."

Is there any truth to C.S. Lewis's belief that a "Secret Master of Ceremonies" is at work in our friendships? In this book you will meet an aging grandmother, a middle-aged widower, and a college dropout. . . three seemingly random players who share the small stage of a downtown Chicago deli during a brief opening scene of intense drama. Can a friendship be forged in a single moment of terror? Can it be sustained after the three players leave the stage for destinations many miles apart in the Deep South and New England? Step into the lives of Alice, Gary, and Fawna as their stories interweave and they discover paths to hope, healing, and faith amid the trials of life, finding courage along the way to open their hearts to others. Reader, author, poet, and book reviewer Sheila Petre writes: "Turner's books come bearing gifts, and they change us, make us laugh or cry, gently sympathize or rebuke."