Zorrie

Zorrie is the main character of the novel. After her parents die of diphtheria when she is a little girl, Zorrie moves in with her aunt. Her aunt is elderly and bitter. She does not treat Zorrie with kindness, and assigns her an impossible number of tasks. Although Zorrie's home life is not entirely happy, she does find pleasure in her time at school. She becomes especially attached to her teacher, Mr. Thomas, and all that he teaches her.

When Zorrie is 21, her aunt dies of a stroke, and leaves Zorrie nothing. Zorrie does not even have access to her home. She then moves out of Indiana. She travels from town to town looking for work. Eventually she arrives in Ottawa, Illinois and finds work with a radium company. She paints clock faces with toxic Luna powder. She develops close friendships with two of her coworkers, Janie and...