Zvi Provisor, the grumpy gardener of Kibbutz Yikhat, has taken it upon himself to keep the community informed with disaster reports: the illness of the Norwegian king, a fire in a Spanish orphanage, a volcanic eruption in Chile. Distracted by his daily dose of pessimism, he fails to notice that the widow Luna Blank wears her nice summer dress just for him. He, who cannot allow any physical contact, must realize that the unfamiliar female presence is shaking his sacred daily routine. Amos Oz, the master of nuance, continues in "Under Friends" from his bestselling success "A Tale of Love and Darkness" and returns to the time that inspired him the most: his years in the kibbutz. "These stories speak of the elemental forces of human existence. Of loneliness. Of love. Of loss. Of death. Of longing.".