Just Passing Through explores the many ways people face lifes troubles. Though scientific ideas have forced their way into some of these stories, the focus is on the characters lives: A loving mother dictates her sons life as a despot a priest discovers he has sinned two recent widowers find their mutual attraction disturbing a watchmaker learns the exact date of his death a man sees the world collapsing and cannot decide if he is hallucinating or losing his mind; perhaps he can reverse the collapse beings from a distant planet plan to settle on earth. Several stories are nonfictional, personal memoirs.