When he discovers gold near his village, an African man dissatisfied with his lot in life develops new obsessions, flouts old responsibilities, and ultimately loses more than he gains.

In 1950s New York, a rabbinical student hires a matchmaker. As he agonizes over his choices, he begins to suspect that his advisor may have an ulterior motive.

In inner-city 1980s Boston, a middle-school boy must care for himself and his baby half-brother when their mother runs away to Texas.