Mary Agnes Keely is finally leaving home, ditching her Irish Catholic upbringing, her widowed mother, and the emptiness of small-town life for the chaos of Manhattan. Her journey will alter many lives: Lydia, whose crazed husband is confined at Shay Acres; Stanley, the dreaming commercial artist who brings his eager body to her virginal bed; and a ragtag array of artists and poets. Choosing her own way, Mary Agnes taps hidden resources in a gradual...