The Great Believers

Thirty years later, Fiona takes a plane to Paris, where she plans to search for her estranged daughter, Claire. On the flight, Claire sits next to an attractive man in his 30s. The man chats with her, and is excited to learn that Fiona is staying with Richard Campo (who is now a well-known photographer). Fiona engages in conversation, but feels wary of his intentions.

Unsure where his friends have gone, Yale wanders the streets, peeking into bars. He feels lonely and out of sorts. On the way back to the apartment he shares with Charlie, Yale observes a house for sale in his neighborhood. He imagines buying the house and building a home there, musing that this could be “the night he found their house” (21) and not just the night after Nico’s funeral.

At the apartment, Yale calls Charlie’s mother, Teresa. Yale has a much closer relationship with Teresa than he has with his own family. His father calls a few times a year for obligatory, unemotional “checking in” conversations. He has no contact with his mother, who left home when he was young to become an actress, but he occasionally sees her in commercials.

Charlie returns home drunk very late at night. He explains that the group left Nico’s life celebration to go through his belongings in his apartment (before his conservative parents went through them). He brings back an orange scarf that Nico used to wear and a pair of Nico’s shoes.

Charlie is greatly distressed by a rumor he heard from Fiona: That Yale retreated upstairs to have sex with Teddy. Charlie doesn’t seem to trust Yale when he denies this rumor. Charlie is a possessive partner and a staunch advocate for protected sex and monogamy. He often makes Yale feel guilty for even the most fleeting attractions to other men.

The next day at work, the gallery director, Bill, forewarns Yale of a visit from Northwestern University’s Director of Planned Giving, Cecily. Cecily gives Yale a letter from an elderly woman named Nora Lerner (who is Fiona’s Great Aunt). In the letter, Nora explains that she has a large collection of valuable art created in Paris during the 1920s, including work by Modigliani, Soutine, Pascin, and Foujita. She requests that Yale meet her to discuss this donation at her home in Wisconsin. Cecily announces that tomorrow, she will pick Yale up in her car so they can drive to visit Nora.

Back at the apartment, Yale finds Charlie and his Out Loud Chicago crew hard at work. Yale goes to the bedroom to pack a suitcase for his trip to Wisconsin. When Charlie comes into the bedroom and sees the suitcase, he panics that Yale is leaving him. After Yale assuages his fears, Charlie confides that part of him is relieved that men are being more cautious about sex due to AIDS. He believes that Yale is less likely to leave him as long as the virus remains a threat. Yale is upset by this declaration, but ultimately understands where it’s coming from, responding, “You get afraid of one thing, and suddenly you’re afraid of everything” (36). 

As Fiona heads to Richard’s apartment, she feels anxious. She has only been to Paris once for a high school trip. She is looking for Claire based on an online video a friend sent to her. The video featured a woman street artist who looked like she might be Claire, and a little girl who looked like she might be Fiona’s granddaughter.

Fiona reflects that there has always been friction in her relationship with Claire, even when she was still married to Claire’s father, Damian. The rift between them grew especially deep, however, when Claire joined a cult in Colorado called the Hosanna Collective (along with Kurt, Cecily’s son). Fiona believes that Kurt has been manipulating her daughter, and that they might be living with the cult in Paris.

Richard and his partner, a handsome young man named Serge, warmly greet Fiona. Fiona and Richard look through old photos and reminisce about their lives in Chicago during the 80s and 90s. Seeing old photos of Nico, Fiona feels a deep sense of loss, exclaiming that all the men in these images are dead.

Fiona gets a call from the private investigator she’s hired to find Claire. The investigator tells her to meet him at a local cafe. Serge takes her there on his motorbike.

Throughout the drive to Nora’s house in Wisconsin, Cecily is stiff-mannered and unemotive. At the house, they are greeted by Debra—Nora’s granddaughter and caregiver—who seems to have mixed feelings about their presence. Nora’s house is small and modestly furnished, not the home of a wealthy art collector. Cecily is clearly disappointed.

Nora is an attractive woman in her 90s who appears no older than 75. She explains that Debra is frustrated about her refusal to have the art appraised, and that Debra believes the money from selling the art could support her. They are then joined by Nora’s pro-bono lawyer, Stanley, who explains that the art is being kept in a safe, but that they will send photographs to Yale at the Brigg. Nora asks Yale to reassure her that the work will be displayed prominently, and that the work of an unknown artist—Ranko Novak—will be given as much attention as the works of well-known artists.

On the way to their Door County motel, Cecily and Yale stop to eat at a local restaurant. Cecily orders several martinis, and her demeanor quickly becomes more loose and friendly. She drunkenly confides to Yale that she has cocaine with her, and asks if he’d like to “party” in her room. She sadly reflects on the ways AIDS has scared gay men away from clubbing, dancing, and drugs. She asks Yale, “Don’t you miss having fun?” (56).

Taken aback by Cecily’s proposal, Yale turns her down. The next morning, when he drives them back to Chicago, he finds that she has returned to her stony professional demeanor. 

Fiona recalls a time Claire ran away from home when she was nine, angry about her parents’ divorce. Fiona found Claire at a nearby church, being sheltered by nuns. Afterward, she conversed with her husband, Damian, about the incident. When he mused that Fiona herself ran away when she was young—to take care of Nico after he was kicked out—Fiona became defensive.

Fiona looks over the video with the detective, Arnaud, and explains Claire’s past involvement with Kurt and the Hosanna Collective. Claire had just dropped out of college at the time, and Fiona was attempting to give her space. After a few months of silence from Claire, Damian and Fiona became worried about her, and drove to the ranch where she said she’d been working. When they reached the address, they found a group of men with beards and long hair, and women with long dresses and no makeup. The whole time Claire conversed with them, Kurt stood nearby, seemingly possessive and controlling. Fiona notes, however, that she never thought he was physically abusive.

When they returned to the collective after a year, the cult members told them that both Claire and Kurt had left. Fiona was relieved that her daughter had left the cult, but also distressed that she now had no idea where Claire was.

Fiona feels emotional and physically unwell after narrating these details to Arnaud. Arnaud promises to look for Claire, and Serge takes her back to Richard’s.

Yale, Charlie, Terrence, Asher, Teddy, Julian, and Fiona gather for an intimate dinner party. Asher and Charlie argue about the efficacy of testing for AIDS. Charlie’s stance is that “safe sex” and condom use are the most important priorities. Asher argues that this kind of rhetoric unproductively shames gay men. Asher also worries that the tests will be used to compile government databases.

Fiona converses with Yale about his meeting with Nora. She says Nora is a romantic role model for her, and that she loves the idea of Yale’s gallery inheriting her art. Yale reflects that Fiona is a deeply loyal friend. Since Nora is Fiona’s Great Aunt, he knows Fiona might be giving up a portion of her own inheritance—and college money—for the advancement of his career.

While the group is watching a football game on TV, a Tylenol commercial comes on, featuring Yale’s mother. He feels strange seeing her, musing about the way he used to imagine his mother as Holly Golightly (from Breakfast at Tiffany’s) when he was a child.

After dessert, Terrence and Fiona ceremoniously sign papers that give Fiona full power of attorney for his (AIDS) medical care. Fiona regrets the ways her parents took over—and for the most part botched—her brother’s care, and she wants to make sure all his friends receive the best care possible.

One afternoon at work, Cecily meets with Yale about the concerns of Chuck Donovan, a wealthy Northwestern alumnus and trustee who plans to donate 2 million dollars that year. Cecily explains that Chuck is friends with Frank Lerner, Nora’s son, and that they recently had a disgruntled conversation about Nora’s donation of the artwork. Chuck has threatened to withdraw his donation if the Brigg inherits Nora’s artwork.

Yale and Charlie go to see Julian in an all-male production of Hamlet (featuring a set that Nico designed just before his death). For the first half of the performance, Charlie jealously accuses Yale of having a crush on Julian. At intermission, Asher pulls them aside. Asher tells them that Teddy was recently the victim of a hateful attack in which he broke his nose. He demands that Charlie cover the incident in his paper, but Charlie seems hesitant.

At the end of the week, Yale receives the mailed photos of Nora’s collection. He gets very excited by the quality of the art, and Bill shares his enthusiasm. Though Yale warns him about Chuck Donovan’s threat, Bill exclaims that if the artwork successfully passes authentication, it will be worth a great deal more than 2 million dollars.

Though Richard wishes Fiona would enjoy her stay in Paris, she doggedly insists on looking for Claire. Serge takes Fiona to look at Shakespeare and Company, a charming indie bookstore with an upstairs area that contains cots for “lonely foreigners.” They find nothing, but Fiona shows a photo to the shopkeeper anyway, desperate to spread her net wide. She feels guilty, like Claire is fleeing from her for being a bad mother.

On the way back to Richard’s, Fiona runs into the young man she met on the plane to Paris. The man explains that his name is Jake Austen, and that he intermittently works as a photographer for travel magazines. He tries to convince Fiona to introduce him to Richard, and she reluctantly gives him Serge’s number, privately hoping she doesn’t see him again. 

Yale meets with a real-estate agent to see the dream-house in his neighborhood. He falls in love with the house as he explores its interior, reflecting on the ways it might rejuvenate his relationship with Charlie and his kinship with Chicago.

Soon after, Yale and Charlie attend a dinner fundraiser for the Howard Brown Foundation (an organization dedicated to the health of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and trans people). At the fundraiser, Yale runs into a drunk Cecily just as Julian puts his arms around Yale. Cecily thus assumes they’re a couple, which fills Yale with mixed emotions. Later on in the bathroom, Julian approaches Yale in an intimate manner, and Yale believes Julian is coming onto him. He leaves the room before the encounter has a chance to escalate, but privately acknowledges that he has a strong attraction to Julian.

Back at the party, Yale looks around for Charlie, and has the fleeting (alcohol-hazed) thought that Nico must’ve driven him home. When Yale remembers that Nico is dead, he is overcome by a wave of grief. He begins to cry, and Fiona and Cecily usher him outside. As they comfort him, Yale exclaims, “I’m thirty-one and all my friends are […] dying” (106).

Later that night, as Charlie collapses into bed, Yale goes out to get a cheeseburger. On the way to and from the cheeseburger place, he passes Julian’s apartment, and feels tempted to sleep with him. 

Jake Austen comes over for dinner, having obtained an invitation from Serge. Together, Fiona, Richard, Serge, Jake, and a journalist need Corinne enjoy a relaxing dinner. Corinne announces that she’s throwing a party in Richard’s honor tomorrow night, and invites everyone at the table.

Yale and Charlie have a friendly dinner at Bill’s house (prepared by his sweet but somewhat homely wife, Dolly). Bill explains that he considers Nora’s art gallery to be his swan song at the Brigg, and that he’s willing to risk whatever career he has left on the opportunity. He cautions Yale, however, that Cecily will be professionally obligated to take the issue with Chuck Donovan further and further up the ladder if things don’t go well with the gallery. In his words: “They might be determined to fire someone simply to prove a point, and that person would be you” (117).

Bill tells Yale that two interns are going to be working at the Brigg. He insinuatingly announces that he will take the young female intern and assign the attractive young male intern—Roman—to Yale. Dolly seems excited about Bill’s decision (implying that Bill must’ve had previous physical involvement with Roman).

They are soon after joined by Roman and two wealthy donors—Allen and Esme Sharp—who have been solicited for financial help on the authentication of Nora’s artwork. Both of the Sharps are charmed by Yale and extremely enthusiastic about the project. Roman is a nervous young man dressed entirely in black (including thick glasses). After dinner, Charlie jokes that he must be a Mormon virgin.

At a staff meeting for his paper, Charlie learns that Julian has AIDS, and reacts with extreme panic. He wanders off to process his thoughts, and is gone for a long time. Yale is saddened by the discovery of Julian’s illness. He wonders if this is what Julian was trying to tell him in the bathroom at the fundraiser.

While Charlie wanders, Yale visits Terrence, whose own illness has led him to the hospital. In the midst of caring for Terrence, Yale recalls the final days of Nico’s life and the compromised, prejudicial treatment he received from nurses. He also recalls Fiona’s advocacy and insistence that Terrence not be separated from Nico (simply because he wasn’t Nico’s biological “family”).

When Charlie returns home very late, he collapses into Yale’s chest and weeps. Yale tries to reassure him that he wasn’t sleeping with Julian, and Charlie makes it clear that this was not his concern.