Macon Leary* is a man who craves order, but suddenly his life is spinning out of control. His son has been killed; his wife has left him; he’s broken his leg; even his dog has developed alarming behavioural problems. On top of all this, a stranger has entered his life in the person of a dog trainer who seems determined to involve herself in his life, a life which he strives to keep unattached to strangers.