A line in the Kate McGarrigle song, "Heart Like A Wheel," states: And it's only love that can wreck a human being and turn him inside out. "The Love Story of Paul Collins" illustrates that tragedy within a story and a setting of thoughtful and emotional literary power, set in a provincial Central European capital during the year preceding September 11, 2001. Paul Collins falls in love with Danika Tolarova, who was once his student, and they plan to marry. Until a brutal secret from Danika's past, when she lived briefly in London, is exposed just weeks before their wedding.