Ruth of the U. S. A.

In the bleak winter of 1918, Chicago’s streets echo with the uncertainty of a war that seems to be grinding to a halt. Factories sit idle, newspapers proclaim a faltering American effort, and the city’s residents cling to the hope that a heroic return might spark a new direction. Ruth Alden, a twenty‑two‑year‑old office manager, wakes in a cold boarding house, her thoughts already drifting to Gerry Hull, the young lieutenant she loves and who is due home from France.

A routine morning at the real‑estate office quickly turns into a study of ambition and conscience. While Sam Hilton hatches a profit‑driven deal, he brags about Hull’s exploits, prompting Ruth to confront the stark contrast between his comfortable detachment and the sacrifices of those on the front. Their conversation ignites a quiet rebellion within her, setting the stage for choices that could intertwine personal desire, patriotic duty, and the restless pulse of a nation in transition.