Mary Foley, Mary Doyle is Marjorie Doyle's journey to uncover the layers of her mother's life. It is not a straightforward story -- secrets, lies, omissions, and equivocations were the tools Mary relied on for protection. She takes us to the 1920s and 30s and the bleak mill town on the west coast of Newfoundland where her mother grew up, barely one step ahead of relentless landlords. We follow Mary's escape with a secretarial diploma, her ticket to St. John's, and marriage to Gerald Doyle, a wealthy widower 25 years her senior. It was a fairy tale come true -- until Gerald's sudden death left Mary with all the responsibility of family, home, and business. Marjorie stitches together her mother's fascinating life story from family recollections, archival work, and personal papers found after Mary's death. Mary remains at centre stage, as Marjorie -- challenger, admirer, detective -- tries to penetrate the shield of a proud, secretive woman and a life lived in mourning.