Autobiografické příběhy spisovatele, dramatika (např. Láskou posedlí), scénáristy (např. Zabriskie Point), filmového herce a hudebníka Sama Sheparda.
Kniha, z níž vychází cenami ověnčený film Wima Wenderse Paříž, Texas (1984), ukazuje syrovou krásu pustiny amerického Západu, jež se stává hořkou metaforou Amerického snu. „Sam Shepard je šaman – šaman Nového světa. Sam je stejně americký jako peyotl, kouzelné houbičky, rock and roll a medicinmanovy váčky.“

When Roscoe, a 65-year-old Cervantes scholar, runs off with a young woman named Sally, he decides to stay a while in her family home. Soon he discovers that Sally's house--once inhabited by James Dean; perched precariously over the San Fernando valley--is filled with secrets, sadness, and haunted women who cannot leave themselves or anyone else in peace. From Lucy, Sally's suspicious sister, to Mable, their Shakespeare-quoting invalid mother, to Elizabeth, Mable's lovely and mysteriously mute nurse, the forces of the house conspire to make Roscoe question his assumptions about everything. As...

Volume three of Shepard's collected plays includes his most recent works that have been produced in London by the Royal Court Theatre. A Lie of the Mind is a 2 character drama, and States of Shock and Simpatico are included in the collection.