Book excerpt: A heartwarming, bittersweet comedy about three generations of American women. Mary Goodman, a woman of the "greatest generation" is mourning the loss of her husband. Her daughter, Deborah, is encouraging her to end her period of mourning and move on with a new independence. In a series of scenes between Mary, Deborah, and Mary's mother, Bessie, Mary reflects back on her life as a daughter, wife and mother. A trio of actresses plays the three women over the course of sixty-five years. As Mary's life progresses from childhood to matrimony to motherhood, we see how each successive generation of women lives up to the expectations of the past and makes brave new choices about the future. At the end of the play, the three women stand as links in a chain made of faith, love, and understanding.