The distinguished winner of the first ever Pulitzer Prize is a snapshot of a forgotten era, a New York on the cusp of change in 1917

At risk of becoming estranged from his children, Roger Gale has promised his wife on her deathbed that he will try to build bridges with his three daughters. The daughters in question are not alike: Edith is happily married with children and a devoted family woman; Deborah works as a school principal and has yet to marry as she seems to have so little time; Laura seems determined to live on the dangerous side of life, falling in love at the drop of a hat. Roger sees a little of himself in all his disparate children but struggles with the reality of life in which individuals make their own decisions and time seems to be ever rushing on. As he grapples with the evolving world, its politics, and its modern practices, his children are moving with the times: marrying as they wish and following their own political paths. Summer at the family’s beautiful farm in New Hampshire provides yearly respite from New York buzz, where the family can congregate and relax in their own space, but it cannot keep them safe from reality forever. In his struggle to keep his relatives united, Roger will have to face bereavement, divorce, financial ruin, and war. Will he be able to fulfill his promise to his wife or is it already too late for the Gale family?