The Listener

Widowed Hope Long travels to Santa Barbara, California to visit her dying grandmother, Fanny Listener, who listens to troubled talkers in a small cottage behind her house. Someday Hope will become the listener, but today Fanny wants to tell Hope something before she dies.


Fanny tells Hope that she is one of three triplets and further, that Fannie's husband had sold a male baby to a wealthy family and that little boy sang and danced his way into the hearts of millions of Americans. She did not tell Hope that small Paul is now in the freezer behind bookshelves in the cottage.

Rose is in the kitchen and tells Hope that this morning The Listener is listening to the husband of a senator.

Hope finds an injured dog and grows to love Sammy.

Rob Burr comes from next door to help. Rob is still in love with his dead wife. Rob and Hope begin a tepid sexual relationship and Charity, one of Hopes sister's shows up and says that the third sister will come soon and that Rob Burr is Hopes half-brother.

Hope becomes the listener but does not like the talkers who need to talk and have little to talk about. Thinking about the events of the past year, she closes Fannie's house and goes to look for a different life.