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Back to 1953 (right after the end of "Virgin in the Garden"). Stephanie is six months pregnant. She sees a woman miscarry while at the gynecologist's office. Stephanie’s brother Marcus lives with Daniel and Stephanie. Daniel feels awkward about having Marcus live there. Lucas writes to Marcus from the hospital but Marcus’s father Bill Potter intercepts the letters and destroys them. Frederica has won scholarships to both Cambridge and Oxford. Daniel’s mother moves in with Daniel, Stephanie and Marcus. Daniel’s mother badgers Marcus severely but Marcus remains mostly silent. Marcus is seeing a psychiatrist. The don’t get along very well. Marcus finds it difficult to explain his thoughts and feelings so he mostly says nothing.
Christmas, 1953. The Potters are not at all religious and Bill openly rejects the Christmas bible story. They are not into traditional Christmas celebrations. Winifred, Bill, Frederica, Stephanie, Daniel, Marcus and Daniel’s mother have Christmas dinner at Daniel and Stephanie’s house. There is a great deal of awkwardness and not much celebrating.
Frederica goes to Nimes in the South of France to work as an au pair. There are long descriptions of the scenery and lifestyle around her. She is somewhat sex-starved and homesick and not completely fitting in. She attends a french language performance of Macbeth. She meets Edmund Wilkie at the performance. Edmund Wilkie is the man to whom she lost her virginity after standing up Alexander to go away with Wilkie on his motorcyle. Alexander is at the performance as well and he is agitated that Frederica is there. Alexander is living at an artists’ retreat which had been purchased and renovated by Matthew Crowe. Alexander has become a widely respected playwrite after his play about Queen Elizabeth I. He is struggling with his new work. One of his works in progress is a play about the relationship between Gaugin and Van Gough.
Wilkie and his girlfriend Caroline visit Frederica at the home in which she is an au pair. Caroline is a student at Cambridge. Frederica is invited to a beach party with Edmund Wilkie, Caroline, Matthew Crowe, Alexander and others. She chats with Alexander at the beach. He is warming to her but there is still awkwardness between them. She is embarrassed that she had left him waiting while she rode off with Wilkie. Frederica and Alexander go for a walk at the beach. They get along better. They do not meet again that summer.
We go back a little in time and return to Stephanie and Daniel. April, 1954. Stephanie is at home with Marcus and Mrs. Orton (Daniel’s mother). She has labour pains and decides that she must go to the hospital. Mrs. Orton and Marcus do not help her. She packs her own bag and goes to the hospital by ambulance. There are long descriptions of her labour pains, the draconian and patronizing hospital procedures and in the insensitivities of the hospital staff. The baby is born. Marcus and Mrs. Orton have not tried to contact Daniel so he doesn’t know that Stephanie is at the hospital until he comes home at the end of the day. Daniel goes to the hospital. They name the baby "William" after Wordsworth because Stephanie had been asking the hospital staff to retrieve her book of Wordsworth poems and they had not done it. Stephanie’s father Bill thinks that the baby has been named after him and they let him believe this. The nurses and hospital procedures surrounding birth are very old-fashioned and there are a lot of rules which no-one seems to question. Babies are kept separate from their mothers and not allowed to nurse for too much or too little time. Mothers are confined to their beds and they are not allowed to have their babies sleep in their arms. Marcus and Winifred visit Stephanie in the hospital. Marcus is afraid of William. He thinks that perhaps he is a little afraid for him as well. Winifred fears that she didn’t do all she could have for Marcus when she was raising him. No-one feels connected to Marcus or knows how to help him. He doesn’t know what he wants either. All of the visitors coming and going and holding William is upsetting Stephanie’s bonding with her child.
At the end of chapter 7 (and several more times in the book, particularly towards the end) the author speaks directly to the reader about the process of writing the book itself and how the author imagines the story might proceed or how some particular aspect of the story might best be described. This is a little startling at first but it is an interesting thing for her to have done.
Frederica is in residence at Newnham College, Cambridge. There are eleven males for every female student. She is very inexperienced in sex and romantic relationships and in her evaluations of the men around her. She meets Alan Melville and Tony Watson. She had been recommended to them by Edmund Wilkie. Tony writes a short story abut her ("A Forceful Female Fresher") in the school newspaper. She comes off as conceited, disagreeable and cliched. She regrets having granted the interview and bad effects from it follow her throughout her college career. Her liberal ideas about sex are described in the news article and this attracts male attention. She has many male acquaintances an begins to get some sexual experience through her casual sexual relationships with several partners. She has difficulty making female friends. She meets Owen Griffiths. She is uncomprehending and feigns ignorance when they express their love for her. Men write passionate letters to her and become jealous of her other male friends.
Stephanie is pregnant with her second child. Daniel’s vicar, Mr. Ellenby, retires. The new vicar (a major secondary character in the novel) is Gideon Farrar. Gideon Farrar brings a new style based less on pious behaviour, blind faith and the mysteries of the Christian faith and more on developing personal relationships. He will hold many youth group meetings and outings in which he will provoke people into talking about their feelings. Gideon Farrar’s open style and poking into the private lives and feelings of his parishoners is an important element in the story. Gideon Farrar and his wife invite Daniel, Stephanie, Marcus and Mrs. Orton to dinner. The Farrars have one natural and three, adopted, mixed-race, children. Stephanie believes that Gideon Farrar is attracted to her and feels that his interest is too sexual in nature. She does not like his personal comments, direct questions and candid remarks. Marcus talks a little to one of the daughters and gets a hint that he might like to study biology or botany. This is the first hint of what will later develop into the activities which draw him out into the world later in his life.
Things in Daniel’s parish are changing because of Gideon Farrar’s new style. The old guard of older church women are getting nervous as their power wains (Gideon Farrar doesn’t really like what they represent). Daniel is not happy, particularly because Marcus and his mother are distrupting Daniel’s normal family life and lifestyle. A man in the parish who was imprisoned along with his wife for the abuse and death of their child (she was found to be more at fault than he) is released from prison. His wife is still in prison. He goes to Daniel to ask for help in finding work. He fears his wife and dreads her being released from prison. She has always been slovenly and had left her child unattended for long periods while she slept in the daytime. She had not cared properly for the child and had physically abused it until it eventually died. The father had not had the courage or energy to help the child and now regrets his inaction.
Winifred misses Marcus and wonders where she went wrong. She and Bill have silent dinners and a regular, uneventful routine in their daily living. She feels dull and without purpose. Bill never talks to her or notices what she does for him. The fact that Marcus can’t stand living with them and that they may have caused his mental problems draws all of the energy out of Winifred and Bill’s existence.
Stephanie goes out one day to have a few hours alone and Marcus and Mrs. Orton stay home to babysit Will. We get a good sense that Mrs. Orton had not been a good mother to Daniel. She sits and shouts orders and criticisms to Marcus and neglects Will. Marcus feels some sympathy for Will. He makes small, fearful attempts to connect with the baby. Mrs. Orton badgers Marcus and is very insensitive to his mental difficulties. Marcus is very awkward and nervous about changing Will’s diaper. Mrs. Orton just sits in her chair and shouts instructions. Marcus does his best, although it makes him feel nauseous. Mrs. Orton continues to critisize Marcus and insists that he let her hold Will. Marcus refuses. There is a scuffle while they both try to hold the baby. Mrs. Orton falls and Marcus drops Will. Stephanie comes back home. Marcus has done his best but has been made to appear at fault. Stephanie is frustrated and angry. Marcus later decides to move back home. His parents are very glad to receive him.
Alexander works for Broadcasting House and lives in a flat in London. The flat is owned by Thomas Poole. Alexander has a room in the house and his paying rent is providing financial assistance to Thomas Poole’s family. There are long descriptions of the happy and interesting home life of Thomas, his wife Elinor and their three children. One day Elinor walks out of the bathroom naked, down the hall towards Alexander and into his room. They make love. He enjoys it. He had had no idea that sex could be anything but awkward and noisy. They begin to make love regularly. He wonders about the ethics of it all but she insists that their new relationship "makes everything better". Alexander understands this to mean that Thomas is aware of the relationship and that he approves of it because it reduces the strain in his own marriage to Elinor. The entire relationship between Alexander and Elinor seems perfect and completely open.
Marcus works for the library in the hospital, wheeling books on a cart. He attends a long-weekend outing organized by Gideon Farrar for the church youth and held at the Centre for Field Studies. He meets Jacqueline and Ruth, who he had met once before at the dinner at Gideon Farrar’s house. The friendship between these three eventually becomes a major influence in Marcus’s life. Jacqueline is much more outgoing than Ruth but Ruth has a quiet, powerful spiritual influence on the relationship between the three of them. Marcus is attracted to Ruth, especially for her long braid of hair. One night at the outing Marcus and Jacqueline witness Ruth crying and being comforted by Gideon Farrar. Farrar is physical with her and holds her. This moves Marcus, who normally has a strong aversion to physical contact and affection. Marcus attends a lecture at the Centre by Christopher Cobb on the life of ants. Christopher Cobb is much more interested in ants than he is in people. This resonates with Marcus. Marcus goes home energized and at the beginning of being able to create something for himself. His friendship with Jacqueline and Ruth and his developing interest in Biology is what eventuall draws him out later in his life (as seen later in "Babel Tower"). There is apparently a plan for a fourth book in this series: Marcus’s development would make a good theme for the fourth one. It seems likely that this may be the way A. S. Byatt goes with the fourth story because in these first two books ("Virgin in the Garden" and "Still Life") she spends a lot of time writing about Marcus’s mental state and motivations.
Frederica meets a student poet names Hugh Pink. He introduces her briefly to a faculty member and revered poet named Raphael Faber. Faber is don of St. Michael’s College, Cambridge. She contrives to be near Faber when he is in the library and wonders how she can strike up a conversation with him. She studies his work so as to be ready if she does get to talk to him. He declines, then accepts her invitation to be interviewed by her for a newspaper profile. They have a long and interesting visit in his room. He reacts badly when the article appears in print because she has written about his personal life. He ignores her for a while and she feels hurt by this. Then he invites her to his small, exclusive, weekly poetry reading. Afterwards, Faber invites her to remain in his room so that he can apologize for having been rude to her.
Will’s development is described. Stephanie takes in a stray cat and cares for its kittens. She also helps some of the local citizens who need it and invites them into her home. She also helps the man (Gerry Burtt) who was in prison and who had sought help from Daniel. She makes an effort to allow Gerry Burtt to form a connection with Will. This makes Daniel a little nervous and only adds to his general mood of feeling restless and discontented.
Jacqueline and Ruth are beginning to draw Marcus out of his shell and encouraging him to be more ordinary and to force himself to do normal things which he might not otherwise do.
Elinor Poole has a baby. She and Alexander discuss the question of paternity and she says that she honestly does not know whether Alexander or Thomas Poole is the father. The baby is named Simon Vincent Poole (after Vincent Van Gough). Alexander’s play about Van Gough ("The Yellow Chair") is almost finished. The character of Simon Vincent Poole and his uncertain parentage will appear again in "Babel Tower".
Stephanie’s second child, a girl, is born on February 15. She has a very large hematoma on her forehead which partly covers one eye. It will take many years for this large, dark red spot to fade.
Frederica appears onstage in a play called "Comus". The male lead in the play cannot remember his lines and must be constantly prompted by Frederica during the performance. The costumes are poorly done and the entire play is a disaster. Frederica perseveres as best as she can during the performance. All of her male friends attend and laugh heartily but they respect her for continuing. After the performance she is introduce to Nigel Reiver (her husband in "Babel Tower"). She and Nigel have a lively conversation.
Frederica attends two May Balls. At the first she dances with Nigel, who is very physical, competent and confident and who does not try to impress her.
Frederica continues to visit with Raphael Faber but is not able to promote her relationship with him. Nigel shows up and offers to take her out for the day. She offers to kiss him at the end of the day but he declines. She visits Faber in his study. He kisses her, then pulls back, embarrassed. She wants to tell him that she loves him but does not.
A new university is built on the same location at Matthew Crowe’s estate on which the play about Queen Elizabeth I had been performed.
Frederica’s relationship with Raphael Faber develops. She asks him to supervise a Ph.D but he declines. They have long, intellectual discussions about ideas.
Nigel comes to Frederica’s apartment when she feels ill with menstrual pains. He offers to massage her. She declines but he insists. She feels much better after the massage. This is the first hint we get that he will do as he pleases and that she is powerless to resist him physically (shown more fully in "Babel Tower"). They go out for the day in his car.
Marcus is impoving. He likes Botany. He gets along well with Jacqueline and Ruth. Will throws a train from his train set and Mrs. Orton steps on it, injuring herself. She goes to the hospital, shouting out remarks and making Stephanie feel guilty. Daniel says that Stephanie should never have married him. He does not understand why she would love him.
"The Yellow Chair" opens. Frederica and Raphael Faber and others attend the opening performance. Afterwards, Raphael Faber offers, on being asked, a very intellectual and elegant opinion critisizing Alexander’s approach in writing the play. After this episode Frederica begins to detach herself from Faber.
Nigel Reiver takes Frederica to London to attend the final interviews between her and staff at Vogue magazine. She had entered an essay contest and became honourable runner up at the interview. The Vogue staff tell her that she has a bright future in journalism and offer her a one year position at the magazine. Nigel says he likes Frederica because she is "not boring" and that he likes to be with her. This will come up again in "Babel Tower" when he seems to resent her intelligence and her wanting to work and she can’t understand why he just wants her to say home. Nigel and Frederica spend the night in his London apartment which he shares with several other men. He is a very competent and patient lover. She tells him about the job offer from Vogue. He says that she should move to London and take the job and they could have fun together.
Marcus is improving and is now attending university. Gideon Farrar’s wife, Clemency, tells Stephanie that Gideon has been accused of "interfering" with one of the girls in the youth group. Stephanie remembers his manner when she and Daniel had gone to the Farrar’s for dinner and of seeing him having sex with Ruth on his desk on another occasion. Clemency says that her family life is a mess. She asks Stephanie to talk to Gideon and Stephanie reluctantly agrees (she never gets a chance to do this after the episode described next).
A cat brings a bird into Stephanie and Daniel’s house when Stephanie and the two children are at home. The cat is sent outside but the bird is in the kitchen. Marcus comes in. Will is very upset about the bird and Stephanie tells Marcus that they have to get the bird to go outside. It flies under the refrigerator. Stephanie pulls the fridge away from the wall and sticks her arm under it to get the bird. She is electrocuted. Marcus does not know what to do and unplugs the fridge after it is too late. Stephanie dies.
Daniel will not be comforted about Stephanie’s death. He remains reasonably practical and matter-of-fact. He insists on leading the funeral service. He insists that Will will attend the funeral, unlike Daniel, who was not allowed to attend his own father’s funeral when he was a child. Bill makes an effort to connect a little with Daniel during the funeral.
The author speaks to us directly about death and grief and about how difficult it is for her to know what to write next in the novel. Daniel refuses help and finds that grief is a much slower process than most people realize. People wait a little while and then figure that you must be starting to feel better. Gideon Farrar and Clemency visit Daniel at home and offer advice. Daniel punches Gideon in the face and demands that they leave his home. Daniel then calls Winifred and asks her to come over immediately and take the children to live with her. He is gone by the time she arrives. He does not see his children again in this book. He does not call them but writes occasionally. He travels south. Bill and Winifred are good parents to their two grandchildren - much better than they had been with their own children. It is difficult for Marcus to watch this. Daniel becomes a vagabond and does not take proper care of himself. He wanders around and ends up at St. Bennet’s shelter. He stays for while and helps out there. Later he goes to Alexander’s house (he had appreciated Alexander’s letter after Stephanie’s death). Alexander takes him in. Daniel knows that it is time to start putting his life back together.