Non-standard "plot?"

I'm struggling with what I see as a huge problem. I've got my 74,000-world novel essentially done (I keep going back to tweak things). But I'm having trouble coming up with a concise synopsis for a query.

The reason: it isn't a "here is John (or Jane) Doe and we learn to love him/her but something bad happens and he/she tries to fix it and a couple of complications arise and he/she solves the problem" type of story.

It's a book about three completely different people who share the same demanding profession, but in different cities. Because they are in a business that involves non-stop life-and-death situations, the book is structured to have each involved in a crisis and climax along the way (it's the nature of the profession). The three are not even tied together until the last chapter.

Now, I know one of the most juvenile things a writer can do is get a critique from Mom and Best Friend. But I have passed a couple of chapters on to others and the response has been unanimous so far: "please let me see more!" I'm not bragging, only telling you that there must be something here worth reading.

The problem is that the non-standard format may turn off agents/publishers (ten of whom have already taken a flyer).

I keep thinking of Tarentino's film "Pulp Fiction," and how it is non-standard, yet works very well. Why can't a similarly-plotted novel work?

Should I scrap the format and have all three characters work in the same city and interact with one another? Or is there a way of conveying the essence and heart of the story, the pathos and excitement as it is?

Thanks a bunch for any thoughts. You guys are life-savers!

Danthia,
Thank you so much. Actually, what you suggest is what I had done in those previous 15 queries (10 rejections, five no response). And, interestingly, the characters are similar, except that they are set in the world of aviation (one is a drunk, one is going nuts because of the stress, and one has it together).

Maestro,
Literary? Well, it's not "pretty writing." Does the fact that it's non-standard make it of the "literary" genre?

I believe, though, you've hit it on the head. Essentially I've got strong character development coupled with one professional crisis each--in a way, three mini-plots). Then the bad guy is introduced, and the last third of the book is about him and efforts by law enforcement to catch him. He then enters the lives of the three protagonists, and the crisis is resolved (but it's not a happy ending, per se).

Maybe the real problem here is that this is too ambitious for a first-time novelist to pull off.