Susan Ward Timeline & Summary

Susan meets Oliver, a young mine engineer, at a New Year's party.
After her crush, Thomas Hudson, marries her best friend, Augusta, Susan marries Oliver and moves out West.
Susan and Oliver settle in a town called New Almaden, which Susan likes, but they are forced to move after Oliver gets on the bad side of the mine's manager.
After trying a few harebrained schemes, Oliver moves the family to Leadville, Colorado.
There, Susan meets Frank, Oliver's assistant, who has a very obvious crush on her.
The family leaves Leadville, spending a few months in Mexico, before moving to Idaho to work on Oliver's latest business venture.
Frank moves out to Idaho, and Susan, angry at the state of her marriage, gives in to his advances and starts an affair with him.
Susan brings her youngest daughter, Agnes, along for one of her encounters with Frank, and Agnes accidentally drowns. Frank kills himself several days later.
At some point in the future, the family moves to California, and the couple grows old in the Zodiac Cottage.