The year is 1840, and Mary Todd and Abraham Lincoln don't yet know each other. When they meet each other in the winter of that year, they are very different from who they would become only ten years later. In fact, in 1840 few thought of Lincoln even as a successful man. And even fewer people thought of Lincoln as a potential candidate for President.
Lincoln, Bayard says, is a rough, withdrawn, and seemingly mannerless man who works as a country lawyer and lives in a modest apartment above a dry goods store. It seems that he isn't looking for love and is content with his very modest life. It is clear that, even though he is not very graceful, Lincoln is a wonderful orator and even better debater.
Bayard then introduces readers to Mary Todd, a young woman who is a debutante and someone who is interested in debating, oration, and elections. Mary Todd and Lincoln meet, but Mary Todd finds Lincoln to be an enigmatic man. Said Mary Todd of her future husband: "I can only hope that his waters being so very still, they also run deep." In other words, Mary Todd hopes and thinks that there is something inside of Lincoln's soul despite his tough exterior.
Over time, Mary Todd and Lincoln become incredibly close. Mary Todd realizes that, despite Lincoln's tough exterior and awkwardness, is a very intelligent, witty, and kind man with a genuine knack for politics—all qualities which Mary Todd is incredibly attracted to. But while Mary Todd grows farther in love with Lincoln, her friendship with Joshua Speed, who had taught her about how to navigate the politics and niceties of Springfield, starts to fall apart.
Thus, Mary Todd—who Bayard's novel shows is intelligent, compassionate, and politically savvy— must attempt to keep her relationship with Speed while cultivating a friendship (and ultimately, loving relationship) with Lincoln. Her life has tremendous hardship, but she is able to navigate it, which gives rise to Lincoln's political career and ultimately, his Presidency.
