Frustrating and cynical, yet often humorous, The Chemical Girl looks at the field of addictions from the viewpoint of the protagonist, Ted, a surprisingly complex bureaucrat, who heads up the Maryland Drug and Alcohol Abuse Administration. Recently separated from his longtime wife, Ted becomes involved with the Chemical Girl in Ocean City, MD during the media circus surrounding basketball star Len Bias' cocaine-related death. She was a puzzle to Ted because she regularly and recklessly abused alcohol, and numerous illicit drugs - not to mention birth control pills, tanning booths, and diuretics.