Dawn Cutler

Dawn Cutler is the main character and heroine of this novel. At the beginning of the novel, Dawn travels to New York where she plans to study music at the Bernhardt School. She quickly becomes close friends with Trisha, her roommate at the boarding house. Agnes Morris, the woman who owns the house, has already been turned against Dawn by a letter of lies sent to Agnes by Dawn's grandmother. On the first day that Dawn moves into the house, Agnes tells her that she is on probation. She is later put on full dorm restriction when she later accidently stays out past curfew with Jimmy.

Dawn does will in school and soon impresses her teachers although she did not have to audition in order to get into the school. Madame Steichen, her piano teacher, at first tells Dawn to forget everything that she ever learned about...