Discovery at Aspen

Judy Lurie is busy packing the last remnants of last summer’s wardrobe while her family buzzes with excitement about the upcoming trip to Aspen. Her mother Minna dreams of a summer filled with opera rehearsals and a chance for John to join a prestigious orchestra, while friends chatter about the elite music school they’ll all be visiting. Amid the flurry of gifts, new dresses, and well‑meaning advice, Judy feels both observed and invisible from her small, draped alcove.

Her mother proudly declares that Aspen will “change all that,” insisting Judy, at fifteen, is ready for serious study even though she has abandoned the piano. Instead, Judy spends her time reading, sketching, and daydreaming about a colonial‑era dress that seems to promise a different kind of performance. The tension between familial expectation and her own restless creativity sets the stage for a summer that might finally let her discover who she truly wants to be.