The Group 1966

After their days at a prestigious Eastern university, eight devoted women friends go their separate ways. Lakey, the wealthy and very beautiful leader, travels to Europe to begin a new life on her own, leaving the others to navigate the uncertain futures that await them back home.

The domestic lives of the group go largely awry as time passes. Priss marries an overbearing, controlling doctor, and her path is marked by two miscarriages before she finally welcomes a son. Kay—Lakey’s former protégée who was always less sophisticated and wealthier than the others—ties herself to an abusive playwright who cheats on her, a relationship that casts a shadow over her early years. After an unhappy affair with a cold, sarcastic painter, the luminous but restless Dottie puts aside her Greenwich Village flamboyance and settles into a marriage with a dull Arizona businessman. Pokey keeps busy at home, managing the responsibilities of two sets of twins, a demanding daily rhythm that tests her patience and heart. Helena roams the world in search of happiness, yet she struggles to find true contentment within the confines of a home. Meanwhile, Libby climbs the literary ladder, achieving success in her field despite perceptions that she lacks depth. Finally, Polly pursues love through an affair with a married man, but later discovers genuine happiness with a kind doctor.

As Europe trembles on the edge of war in 1939, Lakey returns home, and the group soon learns that the woman who accompanies her is more than a casual companion: she is a lesbian. The revelation unsettles the old dynamic, forcing each woman to reexamine the bonds they once shared and the paths their lives have taken. The story culminates in tragedy when Kay dies in 1940, after which Lakey returns to join the others at the funeral for one last time together, a poignant moment that binds them all in memory and shared history.