Empty Orchestra

Karz Bar in Gig Harbor, Washington, is home to the best karaoke singers in the county - and the best hostess, Channy Lebeque, a young transplant from Alaska. But Channy's gracious exterior hides a dark past - a past that might explain her late-night cigar-smoking sessions on the Jerisich Dock. It takes the arrival of Ruby Cohen - a talented singer who pours insults on anyone who gets close - to bring out the truth. On a wild Halloween night, Ruby gets her final comeuppance - a firing squad equipped with raw eggs - and forces Channy to talk about the husband who went to Iraq and never returned.