The premise of this book is that our emotions are trying to tell us something. Like the "fight or flight" instincts of a deer, we have an alarm system that warns us when we are threatened. The threat may not be physical, however, but a threat to our naturally self-interested desires. This book identifies seven clusters of negative emotions that signal that sense of threat. Each is related to a basic desire and an area of responsibility. As we learn to read the emotional signals, we can choose how to respond in the best way. Rather than allowing our emotions to provoke us, we can read the signals and act wisely.