Irene Redfield, married to a successful physician, enjoys a comfortable life in Harlem, New York. Reluctantly, she renews her friendship with old school friend, Clare Kendry. Clare, who like Irene is light skinned, "passes" as white and is married to a racist white man who has no idea about his wife's racial heritage. Clare is very persuasive and Irene, despite misgivings, can't resist letting her back into her world. As tensions mount between friends and between couples, this taut and mesmerizing narrative spins towards an unexpected end. Reflecting her own life in 1920s Harlem, Nella Larsen's powerful and revealing novel explores issues of racial identity and gender that stay relevant to this day.--From jacket.