The Stranger’s Return

A recently divorced New Yorker who travels west to Iowa to visit her paternal grandfather. She carries urban sophistication into a tightly knit farm household, and her essential good sense and self-esteem are tested by the relatives who resent her presence.

An 85-year-old patriarch and Civil War veteran who presides over the farm with old-world authority. He engineers a ruse of dementia to uncover the true motives of his kin, disinheriting the scheming relatives and ultimately bequeathing the farm to Louise before passing away.

Owner of the adjoining farm and a married, college-educated farmer. He represents the pull between rural life and city ambitions, and his relationship with Louise is complicated by his marriage and his plans to move to the city to teach agriculture.

A member of the household tied to the Crane family, part of the local kin network that tests Louise. She observes the dynamics of power and loyalty within the farm community.

One of the long-standing relatives in the Storr household, aligned with the avaricious faction. She participates in the social maneuvering over the estate and the future ownership of the farm.

A member of the inner circle around the Storrs, contributing to the household’s dynamics and the pressure Louise faces to conform to familial expectations.