A Brief History of Kate Parker is the story of a woman in search of tranquility and belonging. The novel follows the life of an ordinary American woman, Kate Parker, from her high-school years to her late twenties. Originally from Ohio, her prestigious eastern college completes her transformation into a provisional member of the upper middle class, though her status is menaced by an unsuccessful marriage and her limited income as a public-school teacher. A symposium given by a wealthy financier who has taken an improbable interest in public education leads to her world being irrevocably altered, but to what degree?