The Collage

How many times have we been trapped in a situation in which other people take control of our life? It often happens slowly, surreptitiously, and so smoothly that we hardly realize what’s going on—sometimes too late.

This is what happened to Allison Summer, a young, beautiful woman who married Inn Summer out of love. The man had portrayed himself as an ardent and attentive lover—only to create a cover for himself and find refuge from the law and the mob.

A few days after the wedding Allison is involved in a murder which temporarily escapes the attention of the police. Then Inn gets into an accident and becomes wheelchair-bound. On the insistence of her grandfather, Allison moves back to live on his wealthy farming property. Here she learns the ropes necessary to take over for the aging patriarch and renews the bond with her estranged father, Luke, who has spent most of his life in and out of psychiatric facilities. Allison aids the sick at the local medical center and puts a brave smile on her face for the sake of her loving grandfather. She’s chained by hardship, however, as Inn becomes more and more abusive, both emotionally and physically. When Marvin, the farm’s manager, starts getting close to her, she feels like opening up and tell him of all her troubles. Afraid that confiding in him might provoke wooing attempts, she rejects the idea. Meanwhile the police reopen an old murder investigation and discover a video that could send Allison to jail for the rest of her life. A nosy reporter makes Allison's life difficult; a mysterious fire destroys her home; a killer seemingly coming from nowhere knocks on her door, while an accusation of murder hangs over her head. Overwhelmed by guilt and disheartened by the loss of loved ones, for a while Allison suffers in soli¬tude, not knowing what to do.

But slowly and surely, Allison takes control of her destiny, and gets ready to overcome the many roadblocks ahead of her.

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