At a dinner party in Detroit, Bill Lifton meets Jay, a high school teacher with muscular arms and a roguish grin. Their unexpected passion blooms until tragedy sends Jay in search of a more affirming existence in San Francisco. Bill follows him and they build lives in community with other gay men and lesbians. As their love grows, so does the deep contentment of lives well lived; but, the AIDS epidemic rips through claiming its victims. Facing the rupture that illness and death inevitably bring, a figure from the past provides life affirming focus. My Blue Coiling Snake, My Empty Room is a story that transcends time and place, exploring profound issues of love, grief, and forgiveness with humor, pathos, and a deep appreciation for the fragility of all life.