As an epidemic of a lethal airborne virus - that kills within days - rapidly grows, the worldwide medical community races to find a cure and control the panic that spreads faster than the virus itself.

Nora spends her time feeling sorry for herself as she faces hearing problems and blindness. But at the Bennington Christmas Pageant, Nora receives a special gift - a sure knowledge that Jesus Christ lives and loves her.

The Narrator tells us how the radio influenced his childhood in the days before TV. In the New York City of the late 1930s to the New Year's Eve 1944, this coming-of-age tale mixes the narrator's experiences with contemporary anecdotes and urban legends of the radio stars.

Paul, a shy photographer of 30 years, avoids relationships in favor of the safety landscape photography. He is drawn into intimacy by a teenage youth who moves in next door and insinuates herself into his life.