The work opens in August 1942. It begins at the White House, from the perspective of an anonymous American sniper, a “loose jointed man of medium height, medium hair between brown and blond, and mud-colored eyes” (2).

The sniper is undercover as a journalist, listening to the reporters around him speculate about the woman sniper on a Soviet delegation. Several of them insist that 26-year-old Lyudmila Pavlichenko cannot possibly be a real soldier despite her nickname of “Lady Death.” They insist her record is fabricated for the purposes of exaggerating Soviet military achievements. The sniper reflects that Lyudmila’s welcome will soon give way to infamy: “[T]en days from now, all the headlines would read, Russian female sniper murders FDR!” (3)

The narrative switches to Eleanor Roosevelt’s perspective. She is concerned about her husband, who fell out of bed earlier that morning. Eleanor knows her husband is sensitive about his disability. She is most concerned by his remark that his enemies would welcome even greater infirmity. She hopes his determination will carry him through the days, and years, of war.