<p>Allen Wrangell is a terminally-ill, geology-obsessed loner who makes his way to an isolated mountain town to reconnect with Liz, a long-lost love. Allen takes a room at a bed and breakfast run by the enigmatic Maria and soon finds himself embroiled in a conflict with her abusive, alcoholic boyfriend. The drama is complicated by Allen&rsquo;s growing suspicion that Liz, Maria--even Allen himself&mdash;might not really exist.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>As Allen&rsquo;s relationship with Maria deepens, he&rsquo;s troubled by the knowledge that any new love is destined to be short-lived. Perspective and sanity are maintained to some degree when Allen meets Ted, the town&rsquo;s mysterious bartender, who provides a safe refuge in his bar. Ted accepts Allen without judgment and through their conversations the fear and havoc of Allen&rsquo;s haunted experience are made more manageable.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>The conflict comes to a head when Allen is pummeled and jailed on apparently false charges by Maria&rsquo;s boyfriend. Visited for the last time by Liz, it becomes clear to Allen that she is a mere phantom, and that he might in fact be completely delusional. Bailed out by Ted, Allen is recovering in the back of Ted&rsquo;s bar when he finds Maria at his door. They make a decision to free themselves from the earthquake-doomed town and seek refuge farther up in the mountains, there to face whatever may come. In a nod to the story&rsquo;s ambiguous reality, the last sentence of Terrane reads, as Allen and Maria approach their mountain refuge, <em>They were almost there.</em></p>