A narrator comes to a city to devote herself to a philanthropic cause and becomes entangled with a circle of reformers and residents: a practical doctor, a troubled young woman named Janet, an earnest Altruist, a worldly skeptic, a youthful idealist called the Lad, a Tailoress, and the child Baby Jean. Through visits to settlements, committee meetings, lectures, strikes, and personal confidences, the group debates faith, duty, and practical relief, confronts social and ethical dilemmas, endures crisis and loss, and the narrator alternately doubts, rebels, and ultimately restates her commitment to continuing the work.