At the age of thirteen, Edward Francis contracted polio, a tragedy which severely limited his physical activities. Rather than admit defeat, this forced Edward to develop his intellectual abilities. After finishing high school, college, and law school, he established and ran a highly successful agricultural supply firm. Since Edward became the CEO of the firm as it grew, business was of necessity his vocation.His avocation, however, was painting, particularly portraiture, a talent he had discovered and developed in college. His wife died and he was diagnosed with cancer on the very day he sold his firm, a few weeks short of their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Grief-stricken, he vowed to complete a portrait of her before he died which would reflect not only the love she had shown to him, but as well one which also would reveal to each viewer the love which dwells in all such women. The painting held a surprise for all who saw it.

Joshua Foster, a forty-year-old African American high school chemistry teacher and part-time baseball coach, was invited to visit a cousin in Africa. His ninety-nine-year-old uncle, also a chemist, had developed a compound that had strange and unknown powers when coming in contact with leather and wood. Jesse, Josh''s seventeen-year-old son, and Billy, his sixteen-year-old nephew, were the pitcher and catcher respectively on their newly formed team at Caledonia High. They were picked to finish last in their conference. The boys demonstrated to their coaches what could be done if the compounds could be used in a real game. Josh refused to allow it until the championship game, and then only because members of the opposing team had flattened the tires on all the vehicles for transporting players and equipment to the playoff game, almost forcing a forfeiture of the game.

At the age of thirteen, Edward Francis contracted polio, a tragedy which severely limited his physical activities. Rather than admit defeat, this forced Edward to develop his intellectual abilities. After finishing high school, college, and law school, he established and ran a highly successful agricultural supply firm. Since Edward became the CEO of the firm as it grew, business was of necessity his vocation.His avocation, however, was painting, particularly portraiture, a talent he had discovered and developed in college. His wife died and he was diagnosed with cancer on the very day he sold his firm, a few weeks short of their fiftieth wedding anniversary. Grief-stricken, he vowed to complete a portrait of her before he died which would reflect not only the love she had shown to him, but as well one which also would reveal to each viewer the love which dwells in all such women. The painting held a surprise for all who saw it.

Joshua Foster, a forty-year-old African American high school chemistry teacher and part-time baseball coach, was invited to visit a cousin in Africa. His ninety-nine-year-old uncle, also a chemist, had developed a compound that had strange and unknown powers when coming in contact with leather and wood. Jesse, Josh''s seventeen-year-old son, and Billy, his sixteen-year-old nephew, were the pitcher and catcher respectively on their newly formed team at Caledonia High. They were picked to finish last in their conference. The boys demonstrated to their coaches what could be done if the compounds could be used in a real game. Josh refused to allow it until the championship game, and then only because members of the opposing team had flattened the tires on all the vehicles for transporting players and equipment to the playoff game, almost forcing a forfeiture of the game.