Summary

Alva remembers being 21 in the summer of 1874. She and several other young ladies cluster outside of a tenement where they plan to distribute supplies to poor Manhattan children. Alva is the caretaker of three younger sisters who worries about their slim marriage prospects. Upon entering the building, Alva encounters a dead young girl. The dead girl’s sister finds them, and weeps, yelling at Alva to leave them alone.

Alva spends the afternoon at the Greenbrier resort, meeting eligible men along with other girls seeking husbands. Her friend, Consuelo Yznaga wants her to meet a man named William K. Vanderbilt because he is kind and comes from a good family. William first goes to another table of ladies, distressing Alva. Alva wishes that she will be able to secure a husband and thinks about the dreams her mother told her about what...