Cancer treatment has ravaged Flora Adamss body, not to mention her marriage and her spirit. She plans a visit with her aging aunt to recuperate, but a chance detour introduces her to Mac McIlhaney, an old man who both aggravates and mesmerizes her. "Crazy Quilt," set in desolate west Texas, is peopled with a palette of interesting characters including James Willie, the sheriff who wants to rekindle his old love affair with Flora; Jill, a young punk-rocker who thinks she has all the answers; Shorty, the dog with a fondness for wigs; and Lucy Martinez, who is willing to risk everything for Mac and Flora. This detour turns into a labyrinth of emotions that seems to have as little cohesion as an old-fashioned crazy quilt. But what Flora discovers in the end is an oasis of healing that, like love, has turned up in the most unexpected of places.