As a veterinarian, Helena was required to choose when to end the lives of the terminally ill animals in her care. Now tht she has died, she is afraid to face them and finally admit to herself that her thirty-seven years of life were meaningless, error-ridden, and forgettable. So Helena lingers, a silent observer haunted by the life she left behind - her shattered attorney husband, David: her houseful of damaged but beloved animals; and her final project, Cindy a chimpanzee trained to use sign language who may be able to unlock the mysteries of animal communication and consciousness.
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