It is 1966 and Katey and her husband, Val, are at showing of Walker Evans' subway portraits from the 1930s. Katey comes upon a portrait of Tinker Grey and is suddenly flooded with memories of a pivotal year in her life. On New Year's Eve 1937, Katey and her roommate, Eve, have a chance meeting with Tinker at a jazz joint in the village. Katey's relationship with Tinker begins a yearlong adventure from the secretarial pool to New York high society to finally a career in an executive suite a Conde Nast. As Katey finds her way in this new world, with only her wits and her sense of self to guide her, she realizes that the choices we make "inevitably lay the groundwork for our regrets." Reminiscent of Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby," "Rules of Civility" is a delightful, engaging read.