A teenage boy in Pittsburgh rejects the world around him-school, family, and work-in search of beauty and luxury, leading to a stark and tragic outcome. In another town, mourners gather for the return of a sculptor's body, and a bitter funeral reveals the town's narrow values and the cost of a life lived for art. These two powerful short stories explore the tension between creativity and conformity, and the price...

A teenage boy in Pittsburgh rejects the world around him-school, family, and work-in search of beauty and luxury, leading to a stark and tragic outcome. In another town, mourners gather for the return of a sculptor's body, and a bitter funeral reveals the town's narrow values and the cost of a life lived for art. These two powerful short stories explore the tension between creativity and conformity, and the price of standing apart from society.