Summary

The novel opens on April 27, 1945. Lorena “Hick” Hickok, longtime friend and lover of Eleanor Roosevelt has just arrived at Roosevelt's Washington Square apartment to comfort her after the death of her husband, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt. World War II is coming to an end. She has brought the navy blue pajamas she used to wear in bed with Eleanor. They have not seen each other in eight years. The two women crawl into bed and Hick recalls the earlier years of their relationship. She moved into the White House with the Roosevelts shortly after Franklin's election, after resigning her position as a journalist for the Associated Press, feeling it a conflict of interest to continue reporting on politics. Franklin gave her a job running the Federal Emergency Relief organization. Hick recalls giving Eleanor a sapphire ring and taking trips...