Summary

Interlude: Margaret (1952) begins as Margaret is plagued by crippling depression and unable to take care of the house. Her mother insists that this is normal for motherhood and that Margaret needs to figure it out, but Margaret thinks something is wrong.

Part Two: Ruth (1941 to 47) opens with Chapter 15, five years after Bernard disapproved of the lobotomy. Robert reveals that Joseph Kennedy called him about his daughter, Rosemary, who suffers from mental instability and convulsions that the family hides. Two weeks later, Robert and Edward return, saying that the procedure was a failure and Rosemary's mental capacity is now that of a toddler. Now that Rosemary is hospitalized, her father demands that no one knows what happened. Ruth tries to cheer them up as Penelope, the first patient of theirs is living a happy, obsession-free life, and they all know not...