Each chapter opens with a sonnet thematically related to the literary work that provides the title.
| Chapter | Title | Characters and Time | Page |
I. Jack and Betty
| Bridge 1 | Samson Agonistes | (Frame--Jack, Henry, and Shoko)--June 1, 1975 | 1 |
| Bridge 2 | Pygmalion | (Flashback--Betty, Jack, and Jordan)--June 1, 1955 | 21 |
| Bridge 3 | The Rainmaker | (Betty and the Football Player)--Fall, 1955 | 41 |
| Bridge 4 | The Scarlet Letter | (Jack wins Betty)--Spring, 1956 | 61 |
| Bridge 5 | The Bald Soprano | (Betty and Jack meet Henry)--Fall, 1956 | 81 |
| Bridge 6 | The Glass Menagerie | (Jack and Laura--Birth of Christine)--Fall, 1956 | 101 |
| Bridge 7 | Virginia Woolf | (Betty and Henry and Jack and Laura)--Spring, 1957 | 121 |
| Bridge 8 | A Doll's House | (Betty and Henry go to New York)--Spring, 1957 | 141 |
II. Jack and Laura, the Countess, and Shoko
| Bridge 9 | The Grapes of Wrath | (Laura, Christine, and Jack go West)--Summer, 1957 | 161 |
| Bridge 10 | Hamlet | (Henry Meets Jordan)--Summer, 1957 | 181 |
| Bridge 11 | The Black Cat | (Jack's Haunted House)--1958-1962 | 201 |
| Bridge 12 | Ligeia | (Marv's Story--Tom takes Laura)--Fall, 1962 | 221 |
| Bridge 13 | Sailing to Byzantium | (Jack Meets the Countess--and Shoko)--Fall, 1962 | 241 |
| Bridge 14 | Sotoba Komachi | (The Countess and Admiral Yamamoto)--Fall, 1962 | 261 |
| Bridge 15 | Marriage of True Minds | (Re-enter Betty)--Spring, 1963 | 281 |
| Bridge 16 | The Symposium | (Betty and the Countess)--Spring, 1963 | 301 |
III. Betty Inherits from the Countess, Christine from Betty
| Bridge 17 | The Metamorphosis | (The Dreams--Jordan Comes for Betty)--Spring, 1963 | 321 |
| Bridge18 | Renascence | (Jack and Laura Build the Cabin) Summer, 1963 | 341 |
| Bridge 19 | The Phaedo | (The Death of the Countess)--Spring, 1965 | 361 |
| Bridge 20 | Antony and Cleopatra | (The Movie--Henry is Blinded--Laura goes East) | 381 |
| Bridge 21 | Lolita | (Betty and Christine go East)--Fall, 1968 | 401 |
| Bridge 22 | Midsummer Night's Dream | (Christine Arrives on Stage)--Spring, 1974 | 421 |
| Bridge 23 | The Tempest | (The Shooting at the Cabin)--Spring, 1975 | 441 |
| Bridge 24 | The Bridge of Dreams | (Back to the Frame--with Christine)--June 1, 1975 | 461 |