Character Relationship Map: First Affair

Characters

• Jane Simon (played by Loretta Swit) — protagonist

  Jane is Toby's literature professor and Greg's wife of more than sixteen years. She hires Toby to babysit her children, Jenny and Collin, but later catches Toby and Greg having an affair and throws Gr...

• Toby King (played by Melissa Sue Anderson) — supporting

  Toby is an eighteen-year-old freshman from a small Nebraska town attending Harvard on a full scholarship. Anxious about keeping her scholarship and struggling to fit in, she takes a babysitting job fo...

• Greg Simon (played by Joel Higgins) — supporting

  Greg is a successful architect and Jane Simon's husband of more than sixteen years. Growing tired of his marriage, he becomes attracted to Toby, whom he meets while she is babysitting his children. Af...

• Debbie (played by Robin Morse) — supporting

  Debbie is the shy member of Toby's group of roommates at Harvard. The summary places her among the fellow students with whom Toby struggles to integrate, but does not describe her taking part in the n...

• Karen (played by Amanda Bearse) — supporting

  Karen is one of Toby's Harvard roommates and is described as a gifted student with an excellent academic record. She convinces Toby to join the university newspaper for extra credits, creating the opp...

• Cathy (played by Kim Delaney) — supporting

  Cathy is a Boston native and one of Toby's roommates at Harvard. She dreams of becoming a Broadway actress and is among the students whose comparatively carefree approach to college makes Toby feel je...

• Robert (played by Charley Lang) — supporting

  Robert meets Toby through the university newspaper, which she joins after Karen encourages her to seek extra credits. He soon develops a crush on Toby, making him one of the people drawn to her during...

Canonical Relationships

Family, romantic, and professional connections based on plot evidence.

• Toby King → Robert (Romantic Unrequited Interest) — Robert's interest in Toby contrasts with Toby's later attraction to Greg.

  Toby meets Robert through the university newspaper, and Robert soon develops a crush on her.

• Jane Simon → Toby King (Professional Employer) — Jane employs Toby as a babysitter, creating the circumstance in which Toby meets Greg.

  Jane offers Toby a part-time job babysitting her children while Toby is a student at Harvard.

• Jane Simon → Greg Simon (Family Spouses) — Jane and Greg are a long-married couple whose relationship is severely tested by Greg's affair with Toby.

  The plot identifies Greg as Jane's husband and states that they have been married for over 16 years.

• Toby King → Greg Simon (Romantic Lovers) — Their secret affair is the central romantic conflict of the story.

  Toby immediately falls for Greg, Greg develops a crush on her, and the two begin a love affair.

Story Dynamics

Alliances, conflicts, and narrative interactions that evolve throughout the story.

• Toby King → Debbie (Social Roommate) — Debbie shares Toby's university residence and forms part of her new social circle.

  The plot identifies the shy Debbie as one of Toby's roommates.

• Toby King → Cathy (Social Roommate) — Cathy is part of Toby's immediate student living environment.

  Cathy is identified as one of Toby's roommates at Harvard.

• Toby King → Karen (Social Friend And Roommate) — Karen is both Toby's roommate and an important source of practical support.

  Karen is listed among Toby's roommates and convinces Toby to join the university newspaper.

Story Analysis

A young student's struggle with academic pressure and an affair with her professor's married husband leads to heartbreak, accountability, and forgiveness.

Plot Progression

1. A Stranger At Harvard — Toby arrives at Harvard from Nebraska on a full scholarship and struggles to adjust to her new classmates. Her roommates and academic pressures establish her insecurity and desire to belong.
2. Finding A Place — Karen encourages Toby to join the university newspaper for extra credits. Toby meets Robert there while continuing to worry about grades and her scholarship.
3. The Dangerous Attraction — Jane offers Toby babysitting work, which brings Toby into contact with Greg. Toby and Greg develop a mutual attraction that soon becomes an affair.
4. A Divided Heart — Toby struggles between moral responsibility and her feelings for Greg. Greg's dissatisfaction with his long marriage deepens the emotional stakes.
5. The Affair Exposed — Jane catches Toby and Greg together and forces Greg out of the house. Greg then chooses to try to save his marriage, leaving Toby heartbroken.
6. Forgiveness And Recovery — Toby gradually gets over Greg as time passes. Jane eventually forgives Toby, bringing the story toward emotional closure.