A childhood tragedy informs the life of a woman who is the successful mother of two daughters, but who cannot come to terms with the past and who cannot escape the shadow of her own mother. From Manhattan in the 50s to London in the 60s and 70s, Alyssa's choices and decisions are influenced by her divorced parents, by her powerful grandmother, by the two men in her life -- Andrew, the gentle and unassuming actor destined for great success, and Jeremy, the ferociously ambitious actor who is destined for success of another kind -- and, ultimately, by her own children. Alyssa feels compelled to live with the results of her choices, good and bad. But despite her best efforts, her childhood tragedy reverberates through to a second generation. Finally, ironically, through a series of losses, Alyssa realizes her right to choose and to altogether and successfully be herself. Charlotte Vale-Allen writing as Katharine Marlowe (reissue title)