Virginia Woolf's delicate second novel is both a love story and a social comedy, yet it also subtly undermines these traditions, questioning a woman's role and the very nature of experience. Its protagonist, Katharine Hilbery, is beautiful and privileged but uncertain of her future. She must choose between becoming engaged to the oddly prosaic poet William, and her dangerous attraction to the lower-class Ralph. As she tries to decide, the lives of two other women - women's rights activist Mary Datchet and Katharine's mother, struggling with the weight of history - impinge on hers with unexpected and intriguing consequences.