The memoir begins on Nineteenth Street in Paris, Texas. The characters in this Northeast Texas hamlet are introduced via their homes, occupations, and histories. Reflections on childhood emulations to troublemakers evolve. Those who shaped the author by proximity encompass early memories before a family move brings a perceptional shift in the changing world of 1968. People remain at the center of these tales, aiding her transition from observation to purpose.

A career in medicine is finally realized, but interrupted by a season of depression, reconnecting the author to her past. Teachable moments experienced with the “patients themselves” are best revealed through their individual stories in the pediatric oncology wards, AIDS isolation rooms, and the “Butterfly suite.”

The book ends by examining our connectedness, fulfilling its premise “to pay homage to those who have come in and out of my life for however brief or long a time.”