The novel opens from the third-person perspective of Mrs. Livingston, a woman who reportedly takes in “anyone who is troubled or lonely or sad” (1). A young woman, Harriet Blanck, arrives at Mrs. Livingston’s home unannounced. She demands that Mrs. Livingston “tell [her] about the fire” (1) that took place at The Triangle shirtwaist factory in 1911. Assessing Harriet’s interest, Mrs. Livingston realizes Harriet is a daughter of Mr. Blanck, who co-owned The Triangle. Because of her connection to the wealthy factory owner, Mrs. Livingston is suspicious of Harriet.

Mrs. Livingston muses about the many different stories surrounding The Triangle fire. She asks why Harriet wants to hear her story. Harriet explains that she is on the verge of womanhood, old enough to vote. She recalls that Mrs. Livingston spoke with her about the women’s vote at a suffrage parade when she was five years old. Mrs. Livingston remembers the parade and pictures the three young women—Bella, Yetta, and Jane—who escorted young Harriet. Contemplating why she should be the one to tell Harriet about the fire, Mrs. Livingston realizes: “Of those three girls who took the five-year-old to the parade, [I am] the only one still alive” (3).