Matthew Morgan is a retired American professor in his 80s, a widower. He lives in Paris and speaks no French. Since his wife's death, he's marking time. His curiosity is piqued when he meets Pauline Laubie, half his age, a dance instructor. She's also a solitary person but wants the connection of family. She believes she's found that in Matthew, and she attends to him during a hospitalization. When his two adult children arrive from the U.S. to check on their father, they are certain Pauline is a gold digger, and she's confounded by the distance between father and children. The daughter heads home, the son remains. Is there any way that Pauline fits in? Written by jhailey@hotmail.com

Christoph is training with the Viennese special police unit WEGA, a daily life of testosterone, fighting, and peer pressure. When he shoots a man during an operation, allegedly in self-defense, his colleagues quickly celebrate him as a hero, but the outside world reacts with criticism. Soon thereafter he begins suffering from panic attacks and shows the symptoms of trauma. While battling internal impotence, he tries outwardly to uphold the appearance of the strong man so as not to forfeit his status as hero.