Inspired by a charismatic speaker to "side with the poor," a woman volunteers at a charity soup kitchen and is intimidated by one of the patrons she tries to befriend. A man whose son has been arrested for several crimes tries to find some peace in regular visits to a church. A first year university student reluctantly befriends her aunt's neighbour, a mentally challenged woman. With a poet's eye, ear and heart, sharpened over the creation of five collections of verse, Sarah Klassen brings an insight into characters and a depth to her stories that is not often found in short fiction. In every story optimism is present, but is tempered by the presence, or at least the awareness, of "life's cruel underside," adding an extra power to the work.