Handler

Combining athletic good looks with a brilliant mind, Dr. Jackson White had opportunity to date some of the most beautiful women in California. He's discovered beauty doesn't automatically correlate with brains, and White wants both in a potential mate.

Unable to find a woman who meets his exacting standards, the lonely geneticist turned plastic surgeon comes to a starling realization. If he can't find the perfect woman, why not build her from scratch? Time passes and White's audacious idea bears fruit in the ample curves of Desiree Jones.

Desiree is a biotechnical marvel, a fusion of genetics and robotics with brains and beauty to spare. Besotted with his creation, Dr. White is more than willing to ignore Desiree's little quirks, including whatever lurks in the private laboratory of White Cosmetology Center where she spends most of her time.

By turns humorous, thoughtful, and chilling, Samantha Perkins's "Handler" takes a refreshing new look at the classic tale of Pygmalion, while serving as a reminder that perfection, while desirable, is very rarely human.