Bea Chance is an exceptional woman, inventor and entrepreneur, with a thriving business, successful marriage and four grown children: Dick, her right-hand man; Bruce, a Vietnam veteran; Corey, her only daughter, and John, a disc jockey. A musician and pioneer in technology, she combined her musical and computer expertise to develop a system for musical composition and simultaneous recording and playback which she applied to the teaching of music in schools. When she decides suddenly to retire, partially in response to the death of her husband, her departure sends her family and her corporate,...

This novel of ideas describes change in the lives of a student, Jessie Adamson and her faculty, Dr. Sophie Green, as well as to their innovative graduate program. Moving through the program, Jessie overcomes obstacles and faces tragic life events to discover meaning and fulfillment. Sophie, facing retirement, reflects upon her long teaching career and mulls over the state of education in the United States. The program, designed to place students first in their own educational journeys and guided by committed, energetic but beleaguered faculty, is wrenched out of shape by self-serving...