Clark Thomas Riley

Dots Clark Thomas Riley

Dr. John Parker, an epidemiological researcher with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, has journeyed to a tiny town in rural Kentucky to investigate a cluster of four cases of an extremely rare cancer, Griffith's sarcoma. He immediately confronts the reality that in 21st century America, rural society has been left to fend for itself, ignored in funding, neglected in medicine, and assaulted by the merciless forces of corporate agriculture and big industry. In this environment devoid of society's protections, the epidemiologist's first task is to narrow down the possible causes. In the process, he appreciates anew a second reality - that rural America is blessed with strong, resiliant, and resourceful individuals. In the course of his investigation, he discovers anguish, desperation, love, loyalty, incredible food, intelligence, and a dark underbelly rivaling anything a big city might offer. But what about the cancer? And why only these four cases?