Across the Mesa

In early‑spring 1920 Chicago, Polly Street steers her modest electric car through rain‑slick streets, her mind buzzing with restless ambition. Trapped by family expectations—her father’s frugal pride, a brother stationed in a Mexican coal mine, and a postponed wedding—she feels the city’s indifferent chill echo her own discontent. As the day of her brother Bob’s wedding slips away, Polly wrestles with the feeling that life is passing her by.

At the same time, a broken engagement with Joyce Henderson leaves her reputation hanging in the balance, especially after his public flirtation at the lavish Mandarin Ball. Polly, known among friends as a daring horsewoman and champion golfer, confronts the clash between society’s rigid customs and her yearning for autonomy. Determined to chart her own course, she contemplates a bold trip to Athens, seeking freedom beyond the constraints of Chicago’s expectations.