If behind every great man is a woman, behind Edith Wharton was Anna Bahlmann -- her governess turned literary secretary, and her mothering, nurturing friend. When at the age of forty-five, Edith falls passionately in love with a dashing, younger journalist, it threatens everything certain in her life -- especially her friendship with Anna. Wharton's real letters and diary entries are woven throughout this vivid journey through her early Gilded Age world.