In hindsight, perhaps Adam Grossman should not have retired--at least
not so soon. After all, he was a respected heart surgeon and certainly
not of diminished skills. Adam, however, had let his ego get the best of
him and when he is passed over for a department chairmanship, decides to
take his generous pension and move on. Now a year later, he's adrift,
although not always unpleasantly. For his wife Eva it's a different
story. He is disrupting her life to the point that she has jokingly
suggested an affair to fill his days. Even their two dogs seem a little
agitated with Adam's current schedule.
Adam has come to the opinion that there's no point to anything anymore.
But there is one thing that keeps him engaged--music. Most particularly,
he has always been enthralled by the brilliant, yet underappreciated
rhythm and blues stylings of Oscar Brown, Jr. They met over 35 years
before and have been fast friends for most of that time. Adam has hit
upon an idea. He will tell the tale of Oscar's life and career and thus
revive the public's enthusiasm for the musician-songwriter. To Adam's
surprise, Brown warms to the idea. There is one problem. Although Adam
has the support of his friend and intimate knowledge of his music, he
never really considered the effort required to actually put the story to
paper.
Then, there is a wonderful coincidence. Attending an Oscar Brown Jr.
show at the last minute, Adam is approached by a young woman. She's an
accomplished writer, and even has clippings from articles she's done
about other music entertainers. Adam has a proposal. Would she be
interested in collaborating on the book? Adam and Charlene strike an
agreement. He will supply her with rare recordings and other background
material. In time, the book will be completed
.
Deal in place; Adam and Charlene begin to meet daily. For Adam, this
arrangement is wholly satisfying. But after a while, Oscar and Eva begin
to wonder why no pages have been produced. Even Adam questions how this
can continue. His embarrassment grows. Just who is this woman? Adam is
now as determined to maintain his relationship with Charlene--despite
the warning signs--as he once was to tell Oscar's story. He thinks he
can do both, but who is he fooling? Adam struggles to maintain his
equilibrium, but with every new alibi he creates, his illusions fade a
little. It becomes clear to Adam that, sooner or later, he is headed for
a fall
.
