Five American women come together briefly in 1962 in Cali, Colombia, beneath the hill that dominates the city. * Nora, the archeologist, who doesn't relate to other women. * Alicia, who knows she's beautiful and can attract any man. * Melanie, who doesn't recognize her own beauty and intelligence. * Seraphia, whose French husband is barred from the United States. * Charlotte, who is on her third affair. Their interwoven stories of birth, death, love, and loss bring each to an awareness and resolution that one critic has called "as satisfying as if I just had a full meal." "Carr uses a strobe light to capture woman in her infinite variety." -Chicago Tribune "Her stories are simple, crafted, entertaining, and immediate." -Los Angeles Times "There is real talent at work here." -The New Republic "Carr's insights are often breathtaking, poetic in nature but also strongly based in real life." -The Monitor "Carr has a rare gift for preserving moments of fear, of love, of compassion that stay with the reader long afterward." -The El Paso Times