The settings for these stories range from the steamy riverbanks of Thailand to the hallowed halls of classical music, from the torrid deserts of the southwest to the streets of Boston, from the mountains of Montana to dusty villages in India, and from a snooty club for the rich to the potholed streets of a rundown, crime-ridden barrio. Regardless of the setting, human beings are always doing the same things; hating and loving, sinning and redeeming, devils one minute, angels the next.