THE READING EXPERIENCE -- No one knows the inner workings of San Francisco society better than Merla Zellerbach. The novel is a chance to closely experience the entanglements of a powerful newspaper dynasty, and enjoy the family's secrets over time in San Francisco.
THE PLOT -- Yvonne believes marrying a good man like Marc is the right thing to do,
but her heart still belongs to Paul Amory, a soldier she believes to be dead.
Soon after her stylish marriage, Yvonne’s father, James Tyler Stockton, the family patriarch and publisher of the San Francisco Herald, dies, leaving the fate of the dynasty he’s created in doubt. His four children from two different marriages seek their own paths.
The lives of his offspring mirror the time they live in, differently. Indeed, his family delivers fashion and news among the rich and powerful on a daily basis. The differences bring them into decisive conflict, complicated by the loves they pursue,
and the secrets they protect.