Alone and despondent, Alex can't recover from having been orphaned as a child. Melissa struggles to move on with her life after being savagely attacked. Richard can't forgive himself for his part in the death of a young girl. Joel strives to overcome a childhood of family violence. Armed with different strengths and weaknesses, each does their best to cope-some managing better than others. Alex plots his suicide; Melissa resolves to avenge her attacker; Richard finds solace at the bottom of a bottle; and Joel determines to break the cycle of abuse. Anyone who has faced adversity will recognize how, sometimes, circumstances drive people to do things they might not otherwise do. What Dark Passages invites readers into the private worlds of four people trying to recover from life's darkest moments.