Melody Bates

In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.

Cash-strapped Oregon winemakers turn to growing pot in order to finance their vineyard.

Live from the Metropolitan Opera 19 December 2009.

Religious fanaticism, schizophrenia, supernatural powers and repressed sexual desire combine into a deadly family drama.

A group of college students develop an underground network that helps women get abortions in the pre-Roe vs. Wade Chicago.

Photographer Barnard Jacobs is dying and Ashley, the woman he loves, won't admit her feelings for him. She's too wrapped up in her cocaine addiction and desire to find a wealthy husband. When fashionista Madeleine begs Barnard to call Ashley for drugs, a party develops. Madeline pairs off with a rich tech executive named Boccaccio. Barnard goes home, where Ashley, seeking peace and solitude, joins him. In flashback, Barnard recalls how his best friend Pickering hired him to take photos of women's eyes. He hired Ashley and the two forged a deep connection. Back in the present, Boccaccio and Madeleine do drugs and become removed from the world. As Barnard learns death is near, he reaches out to Ashley in a final attempt to save both of them.

In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.