It's said that the flapping of a butterfly's wing can start a chain reaction that leads to an unstoppable storm. In the same way, random twists of fate and transitory acts of kindness and cruelty can shape our destinies, just as we affect the people around us . . . sometimes in ways we can't possibly imagine. Jody is a likable young man getting by in New York City at the turn of the millennium. On the surface, he seems to have it together, with friends,...