Chapter 1, Ebb Tide Summary

A Year By the Sea begins with an ending, as Joan and her husband of many years prepared to separate for several months. Joan found herself overwhelmed, but looking forward to the personal growth and understanding that she hoped to gain, living alone in her Cape Cod cottage.

Young Joan met her future husband at Yale, where they were both students together, and although things were not perfect between them, Joan was determined to get married within a few years, and he seemed like a good enough candidate. The young man brought Joan home to meet his parents, who decided that Joan was the right girl for their son. To show just how supportive Joan's future in-laws were of this relationship, the young man's mother handed him a family heirloom engagement ring, which he passed to Joan. This implied...