Chapter 1 Summary

Edith Hope, a romantic fiction writer using a pseudonym, arrives at the Hotel du Lac in late September. She is there to take a break from her life at the urging of her friends. It seems that she has experienced an "unfortunate lapse," although the specific event remains undefined, which has caused them to suggest that she get away for a while. Edith is driven to the airport by a friend and neighbor who will forgive her for her indiscretion only if she takes the time to think about what she has done and returns having learned her lesson and ready to apologize.

Edith views herself as a serious, responsible person who is seen by her friends as being beyond the age of indiscretion. As for her physical appearance, Edith notes that several people have commented on her resemblance to Virginia Woolf. She...