Elgar Enders, living on an allowance from his wealthy parents William and Joyce, purchases an inner-city tenement in Park Slope, Brooklyn, at a time when the neighborhood is undergoing gentrification. His plan is clear and self-assured: push out the current residents and erect a luxury home that reflects his polished, privileged sensibilities. Yet once he steps into the building and meets the people who call it home, his perspective begins to shift in unexpected ways.
As Elgar becomes connected to the low-income community surrounding him, the idea of eviction loses its appeal. Instead, he chooses to stay on as the landlord, committing to repair and maintain the aging structure and to support the residents who live there. This decision marks a quiet rebellion against the worldview he grew up with, a WASP upbringing that values property and prestige over connection and responsibility. His parents greet this change with disappointment, unable to fathom why their son would align himself with a world that’s so different from the one they envisioned for him.
In the midst of this personal transformation, Elgar enters into complicated relationships with two black women, a dynamic that tests his loyalties and reshapes his sense of belonging. The first relationship is with Lanie, a mixed-race dancer who works at a local club. Lanie’s background—and the colorist realities she faces—adds a nuanced layer to their bond, forcing Elgar to confront his own assumptions as their connection deepens.
However, the situation becomes fraught when Elgar begins an affair with one of his tenants, Fanny Johnson, and learns that she is pregnant. Fanny’s husband, Copee, a black activist who is wrestling with his own sense of identity, reacts with anger and fear when he discovers the pregnancy. The confrontation escalates to a violent moment when he attempts to strike Elgar with an axe, only to be restrained and placed in a straitjacket.
While recovering in the hospital, Fanny confides that she cannot raise the child on her own given Copee’s situation and the broader challenges they face. The possibility of adoption emerges, but with a painful condition: the child would only be adopted by a white family to give him or her a fresh start. This difficult dilemma forces Elgar to confront his responsibilities in tangible, life-altering ways.
The story culminates in Elgar choosing to take custody of the child, a decision that reframes his relationship with the community he came to care about. He begins to mend his relationship with Lanie, and ultimately moves in with her, tying his future to the life he’s chosen in this evolving neighborhood. The narrative leaves readers with a portrait of growth, compromise, and a redefined sense of family that grows out of empathy, accountability, and a willingness to change.
