The short stories collected here are stories of family and friction, race and gender, friendship and fear, discovery and despair. These stories — set against the vast diversity of America's big cities and small towns, and mountains and plains — are intended to shape their characters ranging from homeless people to ticket scalpers, from cowboys to youthful voyeurs on the run, from mentors and teachers to searchers and loners. Isolation is about men and women, both young and old, looking for their identities and seeking direction.