Chapters 1-5 Summary

Tracy Whitney's upper middle-class life in Philadelphia is suddenly interrupted by a phone call from her desperate mother in New Orleans, who is facing financial ruin because a flimflam artist has essentially robbed the company her late husband left her for her financial security. Although her mother doesn't speak to Tracy of her dilemma, she holds a pistol to her head during the conversation which ends with her telling Tracy how much she loves her. After she hangs up, Dolores Whitney pulls the trigger. Pregnant with the child of Charles Stanhope, her wealthy fiancée, Tracy is on top of the world although she wonders if she'll ever be able to warm to his cold, snobbish parents. The next day, Tracy receives a call at work from the New Orleans police telling her of her mother's suicide. Tracy arrives in New...