Top 250 Tv Shows Like Desperate Search

Physicists Leonard and Sheldon find their nerd-centric social circle with pals Howard and Raj expanding when aspiring actress Penny moves in next door.

Set against the complex tapestry of Hong Kong residents, a multifaceted group of women sets off a chain of life-altering events that leaves everyone navigating the intricate balance between blame and accountability.

Reverend Eric Camden and his wife Annie have always had their hands full caring for seven children, not to mention the friends, sweethearts and spouses that continually come and go in the Camden household.

Queen is the story about Easter, the illegitimate daughter of James Jackson, III and her lifelong affair with plantation owner Tim Daly, which would result in the birth of Queen. Queen's story revolves around her early years as a slave who yearns to know who her father is, and her condition as a fair skin mixed race woman who spends her life trying to figure out where exactly she fits in.

The story of a wealthy family that lost everything, and the one son who had no choice but to keep them all together.

The show revolves around the lives of 8-year-old Arthur Read, an anthropomorphic aardvark, his friends and family, and their daily interactions with each other.

Jules Cobb is a mom in her forties facing the often humorous challenges, pitfalls and rewards of life's next chapter. Along for the journey is her son, her ex-husband, her husband/neighbor and her friends who together make up her dysfunctional, but supportive and caring extended family... even if they have a funny way of showing it sometimes.

Craig and his friends, Kelsey and JP, venture out into a kid-controlled wilderness in the creek.

The saga of a wealthy Denver family in the oil business: Blake Carrington, the patriarch; Krystle, his former secretary and wife; his children: Adam, lost in childhood after a kidnapping; Fallon, pampered and spoiled; Steven, openly gay; and Amanda, hidden from him by his ex-wife, the conniving Alexis. Most of the show features the conflict between 2 large corporations, Blake's Denver Carrington and Alexis' ColbyCo.

Family man Jim Anderson copes with the everyday problems among his wife Margaret and their three children as they experience day-to-day changes.

Follow the Murphy family back to the 1970s, when kids roamed wild, beer flowed freely and nothing came between a man and his TV.

Elegant, proper Grace and freewheeling, eccentric Frankie are a pair of frenemies whose lives are turned upside down - and permanently intertwined - when their husbands leave them for each other. Together, they must face starting over in their 70s in a 21st century world.

Fearless, free-spirited Hilda finds new friends, adventure and magical creatures when she leaves her enchanted forest home and journeys to the city.

The daily trials and tribulations of handyman Tim Taylor, a TV show host raising three boys with help from his loyal co-host, domineering wife, and unseen neighbor.

A comedy-drama following a chaste young woman who is accidentally impregnated via artificial insemination as she struggles to inform her devoutly religious family and make the right choices concerning the child. Based on the telenovela "Juana la virgen."

Jonny Briggs centers on the exploits of a young boy, the eponymous hero, his pet dog, Razzle, and his eccentric family members.

Land of the Lost is a half-hour Saturday-morning children's series that debuted on ABC in the fall of 1991. Re-runs were later picked up by Nickelodeon. Tiger Toys received the license to produce a toyline based on the series, which included regular and "talking" action figures, several dinosaurs and playsets, an electronic Crystal Sword, as well as an electronic LCD game and a board game. The Porter family, Tom, Kevin, and Annie get sucked into a prehistoric alternative world while taking a family vacation. The Porters build a tree house, hook up with a few locals, Tasha - orphaned, an extra smart dinosaur, Stink - a monkey man, and Christa - another human who has lived in the Land of the Lost since she was a little girl. The Porters must deal with living with dinosaurs and avoiding the evil advanced Sleestaks.

Follow the touching stories of people who have suffered a lifetime of separation and are yearning to be reunited with their birthparents and biological families or find children they had to place for adoption long ago.

Stripped of everything, the survivors of a horrific plane crash must work together to stay alive. But the island holds many secrets.

A gifted young teen tries to survive life with his dimwitted, dysfunctional family.

A loving (but immature) father is committed to co-parenting his two kids with his very-together ex-wife. While his misguided fatherly advice, unstoppable larger-than-life personality and unpredictable Internet superstardom might get in the way sometimes, for Marlon, family really always does come first - even if he's the biggest kid of all.

Miss Spider's Sunny Patch Friends is an animated program based on the children's books by David Kirk, which airs on Nick Jr. in the United States, on Treehouse TV in Canada, and on Discovery Kids in Brazil. Each episode follows the everyday adventures of a family of bugs, who have made their home in what is called the Hollow Tree, led by the gentle, kind-hearted Miss Spider. Our gifts, they are many: We hop, fly and crawl. But kindness is the finest of all! - Miss Spider

Four gifted orphans are recruited by an eccentric benefactor to go on a secret mission. Placed undercover at a boarding school known as The Institute, they must foil a nefarious plot with global ramifications, while creating a new sort of family along the way.

Set in England in the early 19th century, Pride and Prejudice tells the story of Mr and Mrs Bennet's five unmarried daughters after the rich and eligible Mr Bingley and his status-conscious friend, Mr Darcy, have moved into their neighbourhood. While Bingley takes an immediate liking to the eldest Bennet daughter, Jane, Darcy has difficulty adapting to local society and repeatedly clashes with the second-eldest Bennet daughter, Elizabeth.

An abandoned waif and her dog are taken in by a cranky apartment manager who becomes her guardian in this family-friendly sitcom.

In the fictional small town of Avonlea, Prince Edward Island, in the early 20th century, 10-year-old Montreal heiress Sara Stanley is sent by her wealthy father to live with her two maiden aunts, Hetty and Olivia King, to be near her late mother's side of the family.

Sisters is an Emmy Award-winning television drama. It follows the lives and loves of four close, but very different, sisters of the Reed family living in Winnetka, Illinois.

When genius cybernetics engineer Ted Lawson brings home his top-secret invention, a Voice Input Child Identicant or V.I.C.I., life becomes anything but mechanical for the Lawson Family. With his boss and his nosy family living next door, Ted, his wife Joan and their son Jamie must pass Vicki off as a real child. It is easy for Joan, who cannot help doting on her like a daughter, but harder for precocious Jamie, who uses Vicki to do his homework and to ward off Harriet, the annoying redheaded girl next door.

Maya DiMeo is a mom on a mission who will do anything for her husband, Jimmy, and kids Ray, Dylan, and JJ, her eldest son with special needs. As Maya fights injustices both real and imagined, the family works to make a new home for themselves and searches for just the right person to give JJ his “voice.”

Following the chronicles of the East End working-class Garnett family, headed by patriarch Alf Garnett, a reactionary working-class man who holds racist and anti-socialist views.

Webster is an American situation comedy that aired on ABC from September 16, 1983 until May 8, 1987, and in first-run syndication from September 21, 1987 until March 10, 1989. The series was created by Stu Silver. The show stars Emmanuel Lewis in the title role as a young boy who, after losing his parents, is adopted by his NFL-pro godfather, portrayed by Alex Karras, and his new socialite wife, played by Susan Clark. The focus was largely on how this impulsively married couple had to adjust to their new lives and sudden parenthood, but it was the congenial Webster himself who drove much of the plot. The series was produced by Georgian Bay Ltd., Emmanuel Lewis Entertainment Enterprises, Inc. and Paramount Television. Like NBC's earlier hit Diff'rent Strokes, Webster featured a young African-American boy adopted by a white family.

A coroner searches for truth and justice with the help of his friends, while trying to hold his family together. (inspired by the headlines of Dr. Morton Shulman, chief coroner in Toronto) In the 1960s, Canadian TV underwent a shift led by "Wojeck" and "This Hour Has Seven Days." "Wojeck," influenced by Dr. Morton Shulman's work, explored safety standards through naturalistic filmmaking by Ronald Weyman and Grahame Woods. John Vernon's portrayal of Wojeck, a Polish Catholic confronting moral dilemmas, tackled societal issues like abortion and drug addiction. Guided by Weyman and David Peddie, the show bravely addressed topics like homosexuality and elderly neglect, gaining acclaim and international recognition.

Twelve-year-old Bastian Balthazar Bux had lost the wonderful imagination he had as a child somewhere between growing older, watching TV, going to school and playing with his Gameboy. But when his mother dies suddenly, Bastian's limitless imagination is reborn. Bastian comes across a magical book, 'The Neverending Story,' in a curious little bookstore. Inspired by the book, Bastian creates an enchanted world called Fantasia, inhabited by dragons, dark knights and assorted heroes and villains.

As an only child, Jane was brought up in the Royal Court as a medieval middle-class girl and raised to be a lady-in-waiting. A combination of determination and good fortune changes Jane's life and she becomes a knight in training. Accompanied by her best friend, a giant green Dragon, Jane demonstrates her bravery and kindness in a series of adventures set in feudal times.

They're just your average family. Stressed mum Bill, daft dad Ben, and two troublesome teens. Plus just a few crazy ideas, escapades and mishaps. The classic 90s sitcom.

The series focuses on a rare species of little bears with wings that live in the magical forest in a utopian cooperative community. The little flying bears together with their friends, took on themselves the task to defend their forest from pollution. However, their efforts, very often, are disturbed by two weasels, Skulk and Sammy, which strive to pollute the forest. Every so often the weasels receive help from Slink the snake. The three always strive to find new ways to disturb the harmony of the forest but their plans are destroyed always by the bears. The bears are always attentive to the advices of the old bear, Plato (who is too old to fly) and his friend Ozzy the owl. This cartoon helps children realize the importance of protecting the environment. The series shows the harmful effects of pollution and fires as well as the important role of the ecosystem.

Harry Wyckoff is about to become a player in a dark and terrifying battle where everything is at stake and no one is who they seem.

Old Bear Stories was a BAFTA award winning stop frame animation television series for children based on the Old Bear and Friends books by Jane Hissey. Jane Hissey also created the television series, starting it on 24 September 1993, and creating 3 seasons, which ended on 24 December 1997 with a double-length Christmas special. In all, 41 episodes were made. The series was produced by Ealing Animation and was originally broadcast in the United Kingdom on ITV. Episodes have subsequently been repeated on Channel 5 in the UK, and are also broadcast in the United States and other countries worldwide. The show also aired for a short time on the CBC morning children's block in Canada. It also aired in the United States as part of Cartoon Network's Small World show. Episodes of the series were released on VHS by Carlton Video.

A Bit of a Do is a British comedy drama series based on the books by David Nobbs. The show starred David Jason and was aired on ITV in 1989. It was made for the ITV network by Yorkshire Television. The show was set in a fictional Yorkshire town. Each episode took place at a different social function and followed the changing lives of two families, the working-class Simcocks and the middle-class Rodenhursts, together with their respective friends, Rodney and Betty Sillitoe, and Neville Badger. The series begins with the wedding of Ted and Rita Simcock's son Paul to Laurence and Liz Rodenhurst's daughter Jenny; an event at which Ted and Liz begin an affair. The subsequent fallout from this affair forms the basis for most of the first series.

ThIS action/adventure series follows Space and Ungalow on their adventurous journey from the East to the West coast of America in search of their lost friend Cassidy.

Die Kinder is a 1990 BBC political thriller written by Paula Milne, a six-part series made for television, and starred Miranda Richardson in the lead role as Sidonie Reiger. It also featured Frederic Forrest, Hans Kremer and Derek Fowlds. The story follows Sidonie as she tried to rescue her kidnapped children. Enlisting the aid of private investigator Lomax they find themselves caught between her husband's past radical associates and the secret services of several countries.

A young actress gathers three former school friends to find out which one is her natural mother, who gave her up for adoption as a newborn.

Marianne is in bed after falling from her horse. She occupies herself by doodling in a sketch book, drawing a boy inside a bare house. When Marianne falls asleep, she finds herself outside the very house that she drew.

The animated adventures of Bastian Balthazar Bux in the enchanted storybook world of Fantasia.

Amazon was a syndicated television show created by Peter Benchley. It was developed by Canadian production companies Alliance Atlantis Communications & WIC Entertainment and German company Beta Film GmbH. The 22 episodes of the series were in first-run syndication between 1999 and 2000. The drama series focused on the six survivors of a crashed airline flight in the Brazilian Amazon jungle. The group soon comes into contact with a Native American tribe, and relations are anything but friendly. The group is taken in by a mysterious tribe, who descended from 16th century British colonists who were lost in Amazon. Relations with the Chosen are tenuous at best. Most of the group escapes the Chosen only to stir up a hornets nest with a tribe of cannibals, led by an insane American woman bent on domination of all the local tribes. The first season ended in a cliff-hanger, and a second season was never produced. The series retained sufficient interest that it was released on DVD in 2011. A novelization of the 2-hour pilot was written by Rob MacGregor, and a mass-market paperback was released by Harper on 8 Aug 2000. The German title was Amazonas - Gefangene des Dschungels.

See No Evil: The Moors Murders is a British two-part television serial directed by Christopher Menaul. It was produced by Granada Television and broadcast on ITV during May 2006. It tells the story of the Moors Murders, which were committed during the 1960s by Myra Hindley and Ian Brady, from the view of Hindley's sister Maureen Smith and her husband David.

Into the Labyrinth is a British children's television series produced by HTV for the ITV network between 1980 and 1982. Three series, each consisting of seven 25-minute episodes, were produced and directed by Peter Graham Scott. The series was created by Scott along with Bob Baker, who had previously written several stories for Doctor Who.

A powerful eight-hour adaptation of John Steinbeck's 1952 generational saga stars Bruce Boxleitner and Timothy Bottoms as battling brothers reminiscent of Cain and Abel, and Jane Seymour as the malevolent young woman who toys with their emotions.

Focuses on Bernard Samson (Ian Holm), beginning with his search for the "mole" that threatens the Brahms Network in East Germany. Samson is sent to Berlin to bring out a Brahms agent. He is then sent to Mexico to try to persuade a KGB major (Gottfried John) to defect, using his childhood friend Verner Volkmann's wife Zena as bait. After it appears another traitor is working at London Central, Samson himself becomes one of the prime suspects.

An international team of scientists, cavers and wildlife filmmakers venture deep into the heart of the remote tropical island of New Guinea.

Kate, Connie, Larry, and Ben are New Yorker thirty somethings searching for love in the city. When Kate and Ben meet and fall for each other, their friends remain cynical about the relationship.

Gentle Ben is an American family series that aired on CBS from September 10, 1967 to April 27, 1969. The series follows the adventures, in the Florida Everglades, of a game warden, Tom Wedloe, his wife Ellen, his son Mark and Ben the grizzly bear.

The Cazalets is a 2001 five-episode television drama series about the life of a large privileged family in the years 1937 to 1947. Most of the action takes place in London, and at the family's large estate in Sussex. The drama was based on the novels of Elizabeth Jane Howard, and adapted by the screenwriter Douglas Livingstone. The series was originally produced by Cinema Verity for BBC One and is available on DVD.

The remarkable true story of Edwardian writer Vita Sackville-West and her husband Harold Nicolson.

Married is a half hour comedy about being miserably in love. Russ and Lina Bowman can barely remember what life was like before kids, debt, and suburbia rained on their romance -- but every once in a while, in between the arguments about their declining sex life and who's driving carpool, they are reminded what drew them together in the first place -- they're best friends. The show also features Russ and Lina's friend AJ, who is recently divorced and pretending he's over his wife, and their other friend Jess, who is married to a much older man who can't keep up with her.

The adventures of Barbapapa and Barbama and their seven children, where they search for their place in the world, while helping humans and animals.

Two-part natural history series following the fortunes of one very special pack of wolves as they return to North America's West Coast.

Two English children, Matt and Jenny Tanner, and their mother depart for the New World from Bristol, England. During the voyage, their mother dies of typhoid fever. The two children arrive in Canada and begin a search for their uncle Bill Tanner, who arrived before they had. Along the way, they encounter the enigmatic Adam Cardston and woodsman Kit, who join them on their journey westward.

A gripping anthological relationship thriller series exploring the emotional fallout of a child's abduction not only on the family but on the wider community, told over two time frames.

Booker Prize winner Howard Jacobson traces the footsteps of Germaine Greer, Barry Humphries, Clive James and Robert Hughes arguing these Australian giants didn't just join the cultural revolution in the 60s - they led it.

Single-camera comedy centering on a diverse group of survivors adjusting to being stranded on an uninhabited island, a dangerous new world where they must face many threats – mostly brought on by themselves. No longer plugged into the rest of the world, the group struggles to navigate their makeshift society while also learning to live without such modern comforts as indoor plumbing, Wi-Fi, social media and Chipotle.

Act of Will is a 1989 mini-series directed by Don Sharp. It the third mini series based on a Barbara Taylor Bradford novel he had directed and was an early lead role for Elizabeth Hurley.

What starts out as a simple, reckless mid-life affair between a genetic scientist named Yvonne and a Westminster paper pusher takes an intriguing turn when she realizes he’s a spook – then suddenly gets very dark indeed. A provocative study of obsession, longing and just how far down a criminal path desire can take you.

Monkey Business is a long-running TV series about the exploits of various primates who reside at Monkey World, a rescue centre and sanctuary for primates in Dorset, United Kingdom. The series features Jim and Dr. Alison Cronin, directors of Monkey World, as they travel around the world rescuing primates from lives of abuse, and returning them to Monkey World. Their goal is to rehabilitate the rescued primates and allow them to live in as natural a habitat as possible, being part of a group and living with friends of their own kind.

In 2001 intern Chandra Levy vanishes. Police search the city to find the 24-year-old woman, but a powerful man hampers the search - Chandra's alleged lover, Congressman Gary Condit. Chandra's parents tell the harrowing tale of the desperate pursuit for their missing daughter.

After charming her reclusive grandfather and falling in love with the beautiful mountain he calls home, Heidi is uprooted and sent to Frankfurt where she befriends Klara, a young girl confined to a wheelchair.

BBC's 150th anniversary production of Jane Austen's novel of the same name.

Jeff, aka Mr. Pickles, is an icon of children's TV. But when his family begins to implode, Jeff finds no fairy tale or fable or puppet will guide him through this crisis, which advances faster than his means to cope. The result: a kind man in a cruel world faces a slow leak of sanity as hilarious as it is heartbreaking.

A woman's search to uncover the mystery of the disappearance of her husband leads her to the Congo, where she's forced to seek the truth about what happened to the man she loved.

A young Victoria "Vic" McQueen discovers she has the power to unlock portals that help her find lost objects. As she delves further into this hidden universe, she encounters many other "inscape travelers" - some benevolent, and some who have been corrupted by their power. When Vic encounters Charlie Manx, an immortal who stays that way by feeding off of the souls of children, she makes a sworn enemy of Manx.

After the death of his wife, Sarah, John West, packs up his three children and moves from their hectic urban life to his small northern hometown to take command of the local search-and-rescue service. Once there, the family struggles with their new surroundings, new friends and accepting Sarah's death.

Follow three women as they each make life-changing mistakes regarding their children and husbands, which lead to unpredictable criminal consequences. Based on Paula Daly's best selling novel, Windermere.

Rainbow Johnson recounts her experience growing up in a mixed-race family in the ‘80s and the constant dilemmas they had to face over whether to assimilate or stay true to themselves.

Gold Digger tells the story of wealthy 60 year old Julia as she falls in love with Benjamin, a man 25 years her junior. As this six part series progresses the impact their unconventional relationship has on her family is explored and the secrets of their past are revealed. Has Julia finally found the happiness she's always deserved? Or is Benjamin really the gold digger they think he is?

The Scarlet Letter is a 1979 miniseries based on the novel of the same name that aired on WGBH from March 3, 1979 to March 24, 1979. The series is four episodes long, 60 minutes each. Part 2 won the 1979 Emmy Award for Outstanding Video Tape Editing for a Limited Series or Special for film editors Ken Denisoff, Janet McFadden, and Tucker Wiard. In 1979, when most literary programs were being produced in the United Kingdom, Boston public television station WGBH decided to produce a homegrown literary classic of its own. The result is this epic version of Nathaniel Hawthorne's enduring novel of Puritan America in search of its soul. Hester Prynne overcomes the stigma of adultery to emerge as the first great heroine in American literature. Hawthorne's themes, the nature of sin, social hypocrisy, and community repression, still reverberate through American society. Meg Foster brings a quiet strength to the role of Hester, the adulteress condemned to wear a scarlet "A" for the rest of her life. As her partner in crime, the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, John Heard writhes in private torment most convincingly. Kevin Conway completes this grim triangle as the mysterious, maleficent Roger Chillingworth. The costumes and scenery are simple, so as not to detract from the dialogue as each character grapples with the meaning of sin, forgiveness, and redemption.

A dysfunctional family moves from the city to a small town into a house in which terrible atrocities have taken place. But no one seems to notice except for Patricia “Pat” Phelps, who’s convinced she’s either depressed or possessed – turns out, the symptoms are exactly the same.

In this contemporary take on the beloved book series, five best friends launch a baby-sitting business that's big on fun and adventure.

Jane's plane crashes on a remote snow-covered mountain and she, along with Paul, the only remaining survivors, must pull themselves out of the wreckage and fight for their lives. Together they embark on a harrowing journey out of the wilderness, battling brutal conditions and personal traumas.

This docuseries explores the period between 1979 and 1981 when at least 30 African-American children and young adults disappeared or were murdered in Atlanta, Georgia.

A patchwork rabbit with floppy ears and fuzzy memories embarks on an epic quest to find his best friend — the young boy he desperately loves.

The true story of how Nixon’s own political saboteurs and Watergate masterminds accidentally toppled the Presidency they were zealously trying to protect.

An epic adventure begins when a massive sinkhole opens in the middle of Los Angeles, pulling hundreds of people and buildings into its depths. Those who fell in find themselves in a mysterious and dangerous primeval land, where they have no choice but to band together to survive. Meanwhile, the rest of the world desperately seeks to understand what happened. In the search for answers, one family torn apart by this disaster will have to unlock the secrets of this inexplicable event to find a way back to each other.

Recently separated forty-something Toby Fleishman dives into the brave new world of app-based dating with the kind of success he never had dating in his youth. But just at the start of his first summer of sexual freedom, his ex-wife disappears, leaving him with the kids and no hint of where she is or whether she plans to return.

The adventures and misadventures of an energetic, scatterbrained, impulsive, reckless and slightly destructive boy, ELVIS RIBOLDI.

After losing her parents to a mysterious fire, nine-year-old Alice Hart is raised by her grandmother June on a flower farm where she learns there are secrets within secrets. But years on, an unearthed betrayal sees Alice forced to face her past.

Astrid and James, who struggle to find a balance between being mom and dad to two kids and being who they were before offspring.

Amateur detective Miss Jane Marple investigates the murder of a young woman whose body is found in the library at Gossington Hall, home of Colonel and Mrs. Arthur Bantry.

1972: 7-year-old Steven Stayner vanishes from Merced, California. For years, his family searches for him, only to find they’ve been looking for the wrong boy. 50 years on, Steven’s children unearth clues to their father’s mysterious past.

The harrowing true story of the Broberg family, whose daughter Jan was kidnapped multiple times over a period of years by a charismatic, obsessed family "friend." The Brobergs — devoted to their faith, family, and community — were utterly unprepared for the sophisticated tactics their neighbor used to exploit their vulnerabilities, drive them apart, and turn their daughter against them. This is the story of how their lives were permanently altered — and how they survived.

Anthony Templet shot his father and never denied it. But why he did it is a complex question with profound implications. Explore Anthony's psyche prior to the events of June 3, 2019 and the journey of his mental and emotional aftermath.

When one of a group of friends downloads the mysterious Red Rose app, plans change. What starts innocently as a game of admiration rapidly descends into something much darker.

Rodrigo Junquera finds out he is close to death, he decides to ask the nanny of his young child, Virginia Martínez, a beautiful and honest woman, to marry him with the intention of preparing the road so she can look after his children when he's gone. Virginia has to deal with the contempt of Rodrigo's children who acuse her of being an ambitious woman who married their father for his money. Virginia is in love with Rodrigo's eldest son, Carlos Alberto, who has come to mistreat her after finding out she married his dad.

As part of a racist government policy now known as the Sixties Scoop, Bezhig Little Bird is removed from her home in Long Pine Reserve in Saskatchewan and adopted into a Montréal Jewish family at the age of five, becoming Esther Rosenblum. Now in her 20s, Bezhig longs for the family she lost and is willing to sacrifice everything to find them.

Evie and Pete move into an upscale neighborhood and find themselves in a world of curtain twitching and status anxiety. They find friendship in the shape of the couple next door, alpha traffic cop Danny and his wife, glamorous yoga instructor Becka, but after Danny and Evie share a passionate night together there is trouble ahead.

Byron Flitch is not enjoying his anniversary party. Instead of making him a partner in their classic car business, his father Burke has demanded he work harder. His mistress Judith could arrive to gate crash the celebrations at any moment and to top things off midway through the line 'I'm going to live forever' from his karaoke Fame rendition, Burke keels over with a heart attack. Amidst this chaos, Burke's wife Lili sees a chance to make her escape and ducks out of the party to leave for an impromptu holiday in Tenerife. When she returns, she is a changed woman and intent on taking up marathon running. With Burke critically ill and Lili off guard, the rest of the family squabble for control of the business.

Aspiring novelist Jane Black suddenly winds up unemployed. Hoping for a more conventional lifestyle, she goes in search of a job, hoping to find something with a 40-hour work week and maybe even dental insurance. Her adventures in the corporate world are not so ordinary, however, and she learns that a normal life may not be so normal after all.

When their friend Nicholas is killed in 1960, several women think back to the time when they knew him, in 1945 "when all the best people were poor".