Summary

In the first italicized pages of Part I, Cleo Sherwood narrates from the beyond, addressing Madeline Schwartz. She tells Maddie about her past, leaving her boys with her parents, living on her own. Her plan was to find a man to take care of her, unlike her boys' fathers. She blames Maddie for turning her into the Lady in the Lake, interfering in her death, and her family's lives.

In "October 1965," Maddie's husband Milton invites her former classmate, Wallace Wright, to dinner. Wally has become a TV celebrity, and he and Milton had become friends playing tennis. During the dinner, Wally mentions Maddie's former love, Allan Durst. Maddie deflects, as she never told Milton about him. The evening makes her realize she is dissatisfied with her marriage, that she is not living the life she dreamed. She decides to leave Milton...