Prelude to Hemlock is a black comedy that follows the fortunes of the young narrator, Jeffrey Edwards. A contrarian by nature and libertine by choice, Jeff is charming, caustic, fiercely intelligent...and fiercely self-destructive. Jeff writes lyrics for his sister Kim, a gifted rock musician, and as Kim's musical star rises, the siblings become entangled in events both comic and appalling. Along the way, Jeff contends with his pill-popping mother; his breezy and scheming father.