When the DNAMIX machine shows up near the service desk in the local grocery store, nearly everyone falls under its spell--who doesn't want the possibility of a different life? Who is behind the machine's arrival? Could it really tell people just who they should be? Douglas, high school history teacher and celebrated whistler, thinks he wants to learn the trombone and has lined up lessons, but everyone in town is changing their lives and their plans because of that thing! He doesn't understand how anyone could fall under its spell or be tempted to waste $2 to be told you're not doing what you should be in your life--he's especially knocked off-kilter when the DNAMIX says his wife should be royalty--and she seemingly believes it. Douglas's interactions with the town's priest, mayor, and students (and his nemesis the town photographer) help to tell the story of a town that's inspired and turned on its head.