 If the central character of The Cliffs is a house, the protagonist is Harvard archivist Jane Flanagan. Jane returns to her hometown, site of the house in question, after an episode at a work party that has led to her being put on leave from her job and from her marriage. In an effort to fill her days, she begins documenting the history of the house for the new owner, and it is through telling these stories of the generations of women who lived there