Summary

Book 1, Chapter 1 opens in the small town of Haverford, Illinois, where the protagonist, Lucy Gayheart, was born and raised. As a child, Lucy was always highly energetic and enthusiastic. Her father, Jacob Gayheart, is a widower and the son of two Bavarian immigrants. Jacob plays multiple musical instruments and gives lessons, but his main form of income is watchmaking. Lucy plays the piano, and when she was 18 years old, she went to Chicago to formally study music and piano. In Chapter 2, it is December, 1901. Lucy is visiting home for the winter holidays. She is 20 years old. She goes ice-skating on the frozen lake with her sweetheart, Harry Gordon. Harry is the son of the town’s banker. In Chapter 3, Lucy arrives at the train station with her father and her older sister, Pauline. Lucy boards the train to return to Chicago...