Years from undergraduate days at Radcliffe College, 1961, through research at California Institute of Technology, to 1973: scientific work, evolution of career objectives, and history of marriage. Charles H. Townes' MIT research group on nonlinear optics, Caltech as an environment for women scientists; fall and subsequent rise of self-confidence as a scientist. Also prominently mentioned are: Ray Chiao, Edward Mills Purcell, Ron Shen, Amnon Yariv; and Harvard University.