A wealthy cosmetic tycoon and her 12-year-old daughter who's dying from leukemia, strike up a sentimental friendship with a California politician. Since the girl has only six weeks or less to live, the trio fly to New York City where the daughter skates the ice rink at Rockefeller Center, assumes the lead in The Nutcracker ballet, and sight-sees most of the city.

Jane, an HIV-positive heroin addict, meets Tony, a young AIDS victim with no family, and the two form a bond.

A boy and his brother don't get along well. In order to let their ill mother rest, they're separated and sent each one with their relatives.

Henry Wiggen (Author to his friends) and Bruce Pearson are members of the New York Mammoths major-league baseball team--Author the star pitcher, Bruce the catcher who never quite lived up to his potential--friends and roommates when they're on the road. During the off-season, Bruce is diagnosed with the terminal case of Hodgkin's disease. Author is the only teammate who knows about it; neither plans to tell anyone. Author takes extraordinary measures to ensure that he is playing ball with Bruce during what will probably be Bruce's final season. Author looks after Bruce in part because Bruce is mentally a simple man who can easily be taken advantage of, especially by his opportunistic girlfriend Katie. As the season progresses, the team isn't quite gelling, despite being the best team on paper. But as information comes to light, the dynamic on the team changes to make it a memorable end of the season especially for Bruce, who finishes on his own terms.

Five loosely intertwined stories of the emotional issues facing individual middle-aged Angelenas are presented. In "This Is Dr. Keener", physician Elaine Keener is spending the day taking care of her invalid mother at home on the nurse's day off. Elaine, a scientist, seeks confirmation on what may be a turning point issue in her life by an unconventional means, namely a tarot card reading. Although the news Elaine receives through the reading is a largely accurate assessment of her current life, it is the news about that crossroads issue that takes her somewhat aback. In "Fantasies About Rebecca", thirty-nine year old Rebecca Waynon is outwardly in control of her life, from her job as a bank manager to her personal long term relationship with older Robert. A homeless woman named Nancy who hangs around outside the bank seems to have a clearer picture of what is truly happening with Rebecca than Rebecca herself, as is witnessed by Rebecca's ultimate reaction to an action in dealing with a personal issue. In "Someone for Rose", divorced mother Rose's life is focused on making sure her fifteen year old son Jay is turning into a respectable young man. Between that and her new work as a writer of children's books, Rose doesn't seem to have time to look for love, which changes when Albert, a dwarf, moves in across the street. In "Goodnight Lilly, Goodnight Christine", lesbian couple Christine and Lilly discuss their relationship - past, present and future - as they deal with Lilly's terminal illness. And in "Love Waits For Kathy", police detective Kathy Faber lives with her blind sister Carol Faber. Although Carol has an active life - social and professional, the former which includes dates - and is more than capable of managing on her own as she is highly perceptive, Kathy, under the surface, treats Carol with kid gloves to make sure she's all right in dealing with life considering her physical disability. As such, Kathy has let her personal life largely slip by her. But is it too late for Kathy?

A hairdresser, who has lost her hair to cancer, finds out her husband is having an affair, travels to Italy for her daughter's wedding, and meets a widower who still blames the world for the loss of his wife.

Life changes in an instant for young Mia Hall after a car accident puts her in a coma. During an out-of-body experience, she must decide whether to wake up and live a life far different than she had imagined. The choice is hers if she can go on.