From bestselling author T. C. Boyle comes a thought-provoking, tragicomic satire about the most destructive force known to humans: love. Terry, a reclusive, eccentric doctor from Los Angeles, moves into his mother's house in Boulder City after her death. He plans to sell it but changes his mind when he meets the charismatic Bethany in a bar one night, who moves in with him before he can think twice. Terry's new life would be perfect-if only it weren't for Bethany's jealous ex-boyfriend, Jesse, who keeps turning up and warning Terry: "She's poison." In the middle of the Nevada desert, a showdown between the two men awaits.