Alexandra Bergson Timeline and Summary

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• We meet Alexandra in the town of Hanover, together with her brother Emil. After she gets Carl to rescue Emil's kitten, she catches a ride home from him.
• At home, John Bergson calls Alexandra and her brothers over to his deathbed. He tells his sons to stay on the land, to listen to their sister and to treat her as the head of the household.
• Six months after her father's death, Alexandra takes Carl and her brothers to go visit Ivar.
• Alexandra and Carl have a conversation in which Carl tells her that his family is leaving the Divide. Alexandra is crushed by the news, but happy that at least she has Emil to keep her company.
• Later on, the Bergson family has a dispute about whether or not it's worthwhile to stay put on the Divide. Alexandra becomes determined to check out the homesteads along the river, since it's rumored they're fairing better.
• She takes Emil and explores the river country, where she learns some new techniques, but in the end, decides it's best to keep the farm on the Divide. When she returns, she feels how connected she is to the land. She's positive that the farm can be made to prosper.
• Sixteen years later, Alexandra has become a successful farmer and businesswoman, with one of the richest farms on the Divide.
• She's decided to let Ivar stay in her barn, since he lost his property. When people complain that he should put in an asylum, Ivar pleads with her not to send him. Alexandra tells him she never had any intention of doing so.
• Alexandra invites her brothers and their wives over for dinner. Alexandra has to deal with more complaints about Ivar.
• After a long absence, Carl shows up, with news that he's planning to go to Alaska.
• Alexandra lets Carl stay at her place much longer than expected. During that time, they have a heart to heart about freedom, city living, and being stuck on the Divide. Alexandra also introduces Carl to Marie and Frank.
• Lou and Oscar confront Alexandra about her relationship with Carl. They try to stop her from marrying him, because they're afraid she'll give him "their" property.
• That night, after Alexandra talks with Emil about his plans to defer law school and go to Mexico, Carl comes to her. Lou and Oscar have managed to convince him to leave, and Alexandra is bitterly disappointed.
• That winter, Alexandra takes old Mrs. Lee and drives over to visit Marie. Alexandra tries to talk with Marie about Frank, and starts to realize that Marie isn't very happy in her marriage. But she decides it's better not to press the issue too much.
• The narrator mentions Alexandra's failure to catch on to the romance burning between Marie and Emil. Her personal life is described as an "underground river." The narrator also lets us in on Alexandra's fantasies about the male figure, "yellow like the sunlight."
• By now, Emil has returned from Mexico. Alexandra takes him to the Catholic fair, where he meets Marie again.
• Alexandra talks with Emil about his father, and tells him not to be too hard on his own people. She tries to make him feel better, since she knows he looks down on his brothers.
• After Emil and Marie are murdered, Alexandra finds out the news from Ivar.
• Ivar and Signa, one of Alexandra's servant girls, go out looking for Alexandra. They find her out in the graveyard, stuck in the rain.
• Later, as she's recovering, Alexandra has another one of her fantasies. This time, she is able to see the figure, even though he remains faceless. But she realizes that he's "the mightiest of all lovers."
• Alexandra thinks about the whole ordeal with Frank, Marie and Emil. She feels that Frank could not have done otherwise, in his situation. Marie, on the other hand, she blames for acting impulsively.
• Later, Alexandra decides to visit Frank in prison. He's practically incoherent with confusion and grief. Alexandra leaves feeling that her own world, too, has become a prison. She feels completely trapped and alone. Plus, with no news from Carl, she has a hard time seeing any meaning to her life.
• Then, in the hotel, she gets a telegram from Carl. He's back in Hanover.
• Carl and Alexandra have another heart to heart. They have planned to get married and head up together to Alaska. But Alexandra decides she feels free living on the Divide, and wants to return.