A journalist participates in a competitive Diplomacy tournament at Dixiecon in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, where alliance-building and betrayal among seven players over eight hours leaves him eliminated, emotionally devastated, and uncertain about trust. Diplomacy, invented in 1954, is a popular strategic board game known for destroying friendships through its requirement for negotiation, deception, and seven players committing seven to eight hours per game.
A senior programmer with 23 years of experience was hired by a men's health doctor at low wages to build an EHR system and teach coding. After the system became operational and the doctor gained proficiency, the programmer was removed from his full-time position through manipulation and false promises of job security, leaving him without income.