The Carriage House, Hall Louisa

For more than thirty years, William Adairs faith in life was based on two indisputable principles: the exceptional good looks and athletic talents of his three daughters and the historical status of his family in their Philadelphia suburb. After suffering a stroke, William wakes up in his hospital bed to realize that his world has collapsed: his children are less extraordinary than he had remembered and his familys notable history has been forgotten.

Williams daughters--all tennis champions in their youth--are in decline. Having lost their fathers pride, the three sisters struggle to define themselves. Their mother, whose memory has started to fade, is unable to help them recall the talented girls they used to be.

For three generations, a carriage house has stood on the Adair property. Built by Williams grandfather, it was Williams childhood refuge and a sign of the familys prominence. Now held captive by a neighbor due to a zoning error, the house has decayed beyond recognition and may even be condemned.