Three Lives tells the stories of three women from the same fictitious town of Bridgeport. The first story is of Anna, a servant to the wealthy, or those who seem to be wealthy. She finds herself taking on "projects" in an effort to better the people around her. Story number two is of Melanctha, a mixed-race character who is looking for ways to increase her knowledge and power over others, but mostly finds herself dealing with rejection and betrayal. The final story is of Lena, a German immigrant who leads a rather ordinary life as a married woman.
