About "6 Nonsmokers"

Dr. Henry Caldwell, the world’s foremost mediator, has written numerous bestselling books on conflict. He has been showered with countless citations and awards, including the Nobel Peace Prize. With his brilliant associate, Dr. Regina Powell, Henry has resolved conflicts ranging from family arguments to disputes between nations.

When Henry introduces his latest and greatest achievement, The Caldwell Method, he confidently claims that any dispute can be resolved within 100 days using the techniques and strategies he has assembled. However, Henry’s somewhat less illustrious colleague, Dr. Jean-Michael Robertson, is eager to contest Henry’s declaration. John-Michael offers Henry a chance to prove The Caldwell Method’s effectiveness. Or lack thereof.

In one of John-Michael’s own studies. There was a house with six tenants. So disagreeable were these tenants that they cost John-Michael six graduate students, thousands of dollars of grant money, and two book deals. The house became infamously known in the field by its study moniker, “Foxtrot One”. John-Michael’s challenge to Henry is to put his method up against the residents of Foxtrot One.

Henry and Regina agree to John-Michael’s challenge and intrepidly cross the threshold of Foxtrot One. To win, they will need to sort out six people with nothing in common except for one thing: None of them smoke. The residents of Foxtrot One are Lori, an anal retentive IRS bean counter, Stephon, a singer-songwriter who’s only managed to write one song in the last 20 years, Ilbercto, an ambassador for a country of just 6,000 people, Evelyn, an entrepreneurial publisher turned dominatrix, Vivian, an actress who can perform anywhere but on a stage, and Coleman, a borderline mental case with delusions of working for the CIA.

Adhering to The Caldwell Method, Henry and Regina put Lori, Stephon, Ilbercto, Evelyn, Vivian and Coleman through dozens of evaluations and exercises. But despite their best efforts, the roommates show absolutely no sign of improvement. Henry’s unwillingness to stray from his method causes him to gradually lose his grip over the mediation process and his sanity. To save the day and keep their reputations intact, it’s up to Regina to figure out a way to make these six nut jobs get along.