This 1988 finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in drama tells the life stories of two people who as children become pen pals. They
continue writing letters to each other for 50 years. We hear about their lives through the letters written to each other. Andrew goes to Yale and law school and serves in WWII. Melissa flunks out of several good schools and gets married while Andy is overseas. When back home, Andy becomes a successful lawyer, gets married, and runs for public office. Melissa’s tattered marriage ends and she turns to the bottle, thus becoming estranged from her children. It is clear in the letters how much Andy and Melissa mean to each other.