Youthful Hearts #1

A young woman's sheltered life shatters when her older sister Ruth introduces her to a reckless crowd, and what begins as innocent fun at a party spirals into Ruth's descent into heroin addiction. As the sister watches helplessly, Ruth's need for the drug grows fiercer, leading her down a desperate path of theft and desperation. This cautionary tale, drawn from official records, traces how a single moment of yielding to peer pressure can unleash the "monkey" that takes over a life.

A young secretary gets her shot at stardom when figure skater Ken Jones helps her audition for Lodi's ice show, but her rapid rise stirs resentment—and when the show's star is injured under suspicious circumstances, Gloria finds herself accused and desperate to prove her innocence. With opening night looming and her reputation shattered, she must decide whether to abandon her dreams or take the terrifying leap of faith that might restore everything she's lost.

When a young woman's husband returns from Korea and enrolls in college, their fresh start is derailed by a charming classmate named Debby Dean—and David can't seem to resist her attention. As David's late-night "study sessions" and convenient excuses pile up, Tina must grapple with betrayal and decide what her marriage is really worth in "Which Way Lies Happiness," by Stephen Kirkel.