diff --git a/src/components/NarrativeCard.js b/src/components/NarrativeCard.js
index fb7e4ae..2d16550 100644
--- a/src/components/NarrativeCard.js
+++ b/src/components/NarrativeCard.js
@@ -26,6 +26,7 @@ class NarrativeCard extends React.Component {
   componentDidUpdate() {
     if (this.props.narrative !== null) {
       const step = this.props.narrative.steps[this.state.step];
+      console.log(step)
       this.props.onSelect([step]);
     }
   }
@@ -34,7 +35,7 @@ class NarrativeCard extends React.Component {
     return (
       <button
         className="side-menu-burg is-active"
-        onClick={() => { this.props.actions.updateNarrative(null); }}
+        onClick={() => { this.props.onSelectNarrative(null); }}
       >
         <span></span>
       </button>
diff --git a/src/components/Timeline.jsx b/src/components/Timeline.jsx
index e2139a5..ae42fb2 100644
--- a/src/components/Timeline.jsx
+++ b/src/components/Timeline.jsx
@@ -1,9 +1,10 @@
 import React from 'react';
 import { connect } from 'react-redux';
 import * as selectors from '../selectors';
+import hash from 'object-hash';
 
 import copy from '../js/data/copy.json';
-import { formatterWithYear } from '../js/utilities';
+import { formatterWithYear, isNotNullNorUndefined } from '../js/utilities';
 import TimelineHeader from './presentational/TimelineHeader';
 import TimelineLogic from '../js/timeline/timeline.js';
 
@@ -21,7 +22,9 @@ class Timeline extends React.Component {
   }
 
   componentWillReceiveProps(nextProps) {
-    this.timeline.update(nextProps.domain, nextProps.app);
+    if (hash(nextProps) !== hash(this.props)) {
+      this.timeline.update(nextProps.domain, nextProps.app);
+    }
   }
 
   onClickArrow() {
@@ -32,7 +35,7 @@ class Timeline extends React.Component {
 
   render() {
     let classes = `timeline-wrapper ${(this.state.isFolded) ? ' folded' : ''}`;
-
+    classes += (this.props.app.narrative !== null) ? ' narrative-mode' : '';
     return (
       <div className={classes}>
         <TimelineHeader
@@ -60,7 +63,8 @@ function mapStateToProps(state) {
       timerange: selectors.getTimeRange(state),
       selected: state.app.selected,
       language: state.app.language,
-      zoomLevels: state.app.zoomLevels
+      zoomLevels: state.app.zoomLevels,
+      narrative: state.app.narrative
     },
     ui: {
       dom: state.ui.dom,
diff --git a/src/components/Toolbar.jsx b/src/components/Toolbar.jsx
index 2104a99..36c8672 100644
--- a/src/components/Toolbar.jsx
+++ b/src/components/Toolbar.jsx
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ import Search from './Search.jsx';
 import TagListPanel from './TagListPanel.jsx';
 import ToolbarBottomActions from './ToolbarBottomActions.jsx';
 import copy from '../js/data/copy.json';
+import { isNotNullNorUndefined } from '../js/utilities.js';
 
 class Toolbar extends React.Component {
 
@@ -174,8 +175,9 @@ class Toolbar extends React.Component {
   }
 
   render() {
+    const isNarrative = isNotNullNorUndefined(this.props.narrative);
     return (
-      <div id="toolbar-wrapper" className={`toolbar-wrapper ${this.props.narrative ? 'narrative-mode' : ''}`}>
+      <div id="toolbar-wrapper" className={`toolbar-wrapper ${(isNarrative) ? 'narrative-mode' : ''}`}>
         {this.renderToolbarTabs()}
         {this.renderToolbarPanels()}
       </div>
diff --git a/src/components/Viewport.jsx b/src/components/Viewport.jsx
index b712f5e..49f772d 100644
--- a/src/components/Viewport.jsx
+++ b/src/components/Viewport.jsx
@@ -1,6 +1,8 @@
 import React from 'react'
 import { connect } from 'react-redux'
 import * as selectors from '../selectors'
+import hash from 'object-hash';
+
 import Map from '../js/map/map.js'
 import { areEqual } from '../js/utilities.js'
 
@@ -15,7 +17,9 @@ class Viewport extends React.Component {
   }
 
   componentWillReceiveProps(nextProps) {
-    this.map.update(nextProps.domain, nextProps.app)
+    if (hash(nextProps) !== hash(this.props)) {
+      this.map.update(nextProps.domain, nextProps.app)
+    }
   }
 
   render() {
diff --git a/src/js/map/map.js b/src/js/map/map.js
index aedeb3e..019a70d 100644
--- a/src/js/map/map.js
+++ b/src/js/map/map.js
@@ -430,10 +430,11 @@ Stop and start the development process in terminal after you have added your tok
     }
 
     if (isNewAppProps) {
+      app.views = newApp.views;
       app.selected = newApp.selected;
       app.highlighted = newApp.highlighted;
+      app.mapAnchor = newApp.mapAnchor;
       app.narrative = newApp.narrative;
-      app.views = newApp.views;
     }
 
     if (isNewDomain || isNewAppProps) renderDomain();
diff --git a/src/js/timeline/timeline.js b/src/js/timeline/timeline.js
index 3598c94..98d44ac 100644
--- a/src/js/timeline/timeline.js
+++ b/src/js/timeline/timeline.js
@@ -19,13 +19,13 @@ export default function(newApp, ui, methods) {
   const domain = {
     events: [],
     categories: [],
+    narratives: []
   }
   const app = {
-    selected: [],
-    highlighted: null,
-    zoomLevels: newApp.zoomLevels,
     timerange: newApp.timerange,
-    language: newApp.language
+    selected: [],
+    language: newApp.language,
+    zoomLevels: newApp.zoomLevels
   }
 
   // Dimension of the client
@@ -517,6 +517,8 @@ export default function(newApp, ui, methods) {
    * @param {Object} app: Redux state app subtree
    */
   function updateAxis() {
+    updateTimeRange();
+    
     scale.x = d3.scaleTime()
       .domain(app.timerange)
       .range([margin.left, WIDTH]);
@@ -544,35 +546,39 @@ export default function(newApp, ui, methods) {
    * @param {Object} newApp: object of time range and selected events
    */
   function update(newDomain, newApp) {
-    if (hash(domain) !== hash(newDomain)) {
+    const isNewDomain = (hash(domain) !== hash(newDomain));
+    const isNewAppProps = (hash(app) !== hash(newApp));
+
+    if (isNewDomain) {
       domain.categories = newDomain.categories;
       domain.events = newDomain.events;
-      updateAxis();
-      renderContext();
+      domain.narratives = newDomain.narratives;
     }
-    if (hash(app) !== hash(newApp)) {
+
+    if (isNewAppProps) {
       app.timerange = newApp.timerange;
       app.selected = newApp.selected.slice(0);
-      updateTimeRange();
-      renderTimeLabels();
-      renderEventsAndHighlight();
     }
+
+    if (isNewDomain || isNewAppProps) renderContent();
+    if (isNewAppProps) renderContext();
   }
 
   function renderContext() {
-    renderAxis();
     renderTimeControls();
     renderTimeLabels();
   }
 
-  function renderEventsAndHighlight() {
+  function renderContent() {
+    updateAxis();
+    renderAxis();
     renderEvents();
     renderHighlight();
   }
 
   function render() {
     renderContext();
-    renderEventsAndHighlight();
+    renderContent();
   }
 
   return {
diff --git a/src/reducers/app.js b/src/reducers/app.js
index 5353466..4fc0dc5 100644
--- a/src/reducers/app.js
+++ b/src/reducers/app.js
@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ function updateSelected(appState, action) {
 }
 
 function updateNarrative(appState, action) {
+  console.log('this happens')
   if (action.narrative === null) {
     return Object.assign({}, appState, {
       narrative: action.narrative,
@@ -43,7 +44,7 @@ function updateNarrative(appState, action) {
     // Add some margin to the datetime extent
     minDate = minDate - ((maxDate - minDate) / 20);
     maxDate = maxDate + ((maxDate - minDate) / 20);
-    return appState;
+
     return Object.assign({}, appState, {
       narrative: action.narrative,
       filters: Object.assign({}, appState.filters, {
diff --git a/src/store/initial.js b/src/store/initial.js
index 03d8fef..11c6e60 100644
--- a/src/store/initial.js
+++ b/src/store/initial.js
@@ -115,11 +115,17 @@ const initial = {
 
       narratives: {
         default: {
-          style: 'solid',                  // ['dotted', 'solid']
-          opacity: 0.5,                     // range between 0 and 1
-          stroke: 'transparent',               // Any hex or rgb code
-          strokeWidth: 2
+          style: 'dotted',                  // ['dotted', 'solid']
+          opacity: 0.9,                     // range between 0 and 1
+          stroke: 'red',               // Any hex or rgb code
+          strokeWidth: 3
         },
+        narrative_1: {
+          style: 'solid',                  // ['dotted', 'solid']
+          opacity: 0.4,                     // range between 0 and 1
+          stroke: '#f18f01',               // Any hex or rgb code
+          strokeWidth: 3
+        }
       }
     },
     dom: {