A seven-year-old plantation heir overhears his mother and her friend discuss the allure of black women. He then discovers a dark secret about his family tree, which leads him to a breaking point.

A nearby gravel pit swallows a young girl and her dog, leaving her family to mourn.

A young actor tours for two months with a legendary troupe through the Andes, and continues to reflect on it nine years later.

Three very different people—a vulgar comedian, an eloquent Cambridge graduate with a chemistry doctorate, and a proud historian—deliver three speeches posthumously honoring the same chemist and lend comic but profound insight into the recipient's multi-faceted character and contributions.