Published in 1916, The Soft Lawn is a controversial portrait of adolescent upper-class rebellion in New England. The coming-of-age story follows a charmingly snotty college tennis champ who, after years of having everything handed to him on a silver platter, finds himself handing it all back. His selfless acts of altruism anger his family but catch the eye of a budding poet, setting in motion a secret romance that challenges the decorum of the well-to-do community. Shots are cooly volleyed back and forth but as tension rises, it becomes clear that only one side can triumph in the end.