The open great room was beautiful. The polished hardwood floors were pale, and the furniture was comfortable and casual in shades of cream and turquoise with accents of coral and lime. Sunlight streamed in through the yards and yards of UV-filtering glass. Part of me longed to go out into the warm, semi-tropical sunshine, but I wasn't suicidal. At least in the modern era I could enjoy sunlight through filters, which hadn't been possible even thirty years ago.

The great room ...