A collection of stories that include life in a flea circus, damaged Russian villagers, malapropisms, a Funny Girl singer, illogical alternate lifestyles, a cruise on the Turkish coast, octopus escape artists, bad bosses karma, a fatal plane crash, twisted bureaucracy, obsessive runners, mighty oaks, royal sins, ecoterrorists, animal cruelty, nickel mining, pet cemeteries, witches, city vs country, and a Greek ghost. The stories explore the ways people live like chained fleas unwillingly held in thrall for a superior being's amusement. Like all creatures, they are caught in a cosmic web of fate, desire, and absurdity.