The Story of a Marriage

It is 1953 and Pearlie, a dutiful housewife, finds herself living in the Sunset District of San Francisco, caring not only for her husband's fragile health but also for her son, who is afflicted with polio. Then, one Saturday morning, a stranger appears on her doorstep and everything changes. All the certainties by which Pearlie has lived are thrown into doubt. Does she know her husband at all? And what does the stranger want in return for his offer of $100,000? For six months in 1953 young Pearlie Cook struggles to understand the world around her, most especially her husband, Holland.