McCarthy's most celebrated novel portrays the experiences of eight young women from Vassar College, Class of '33. As the story opens, they meet in New York City for the wedding of Kay, one of "the group." The author then describes the lives, loves, and aspirations of these women until they reconvene seven years later in the same city for Kay's funeral. "Juicy, shocking, witty, and almost continually brilliant" (Cosmopolitan).