Synopsis
Act One
A remote road in the American South, 1851.
Mary Pleasant shepherds slaves toward the Underground Railroad, narrowly avoiding the suspicions of a young Ezra Landreaux.
San Francisco, 1852. At night aboard a clipper outside of the Golden Gate, Mary Pleasant, Elena Walther, and Artemis Dodge ponder the future that awaits them in San Francisco. That morning on the bay shores, Captain Eames searches for deserters, and the Three Reporters note San Francisco’s explosive growth. Mary Pleasant, Artemis Dodge and Elena Walther disembark and each experience the raucous and bustling crowd differently.
San Francisco, 1870s. Artemis Dodgeholds court in the lobby of the Palace Hotel and easily takes advantage of his now-business partner Captain Eames. The Three Reporters gush about Mary Pleasant’s eerie abilities, but Dodge counters with his view of the nature of power. In the parlor of a boarding house, the Bonanza Kings and Domestics celebrate Mary Pleasant and her considerable influence. Ezra Landreaux, a lawyer and Confederate Army veteran, admires her skills even as he doesn’t fully understand them. In a private room Mary Pleasant bathes Elena Walther, who is heartbroken about the state of her marriage to Artemis Dodge. Mary Pleasant challenges Dodge over his marriage.
Act Two San Francisco, 1880s. Roused by sensationalist press coverage, The City obsessed with a trial presided over by Judge Earl to determine if a marriage exists between Elena Walther and Artemis Dodge. Ezra Landreaux represents Walther, but Dodge attempts to settle the matter privately with Pleasant. When she refuses he insinuates that the press will sway public opinion to his side.
Elena Walther and Ezra Landreaux, now married, celebrate their court victory, and the cash judgment that comes with it. Mary Pleasant reflects on her power, even as the city changes at an ever more rapid pace. The Three Reporters, controlled by Artemis Dodge, smear Mary Pleasant with increasing ferocity.
Artemis Dodge browbeats Judge Earl intoreversing his decision. Enraged, Ezra Landreaux confronts Dodge. Mary Pleasant attempts to intervene but the two men agree to duel the next day. As Landreaux turns to leave Dodge pulls his gun. Shots ring out. Elena Walther goes mad.
On the bay shores,the Bonanza Kings and Domestics go about their day unaffected by the deaths of Artemis Dodge and Ezra Landreaux, or of Elena Walther’s madness. Mary Pleasant, unrecognized, cares for Elena and reflects on her life in the city where she found the full flower of her abilities.