Crux

The Crux tells the story of a group of New England women who move west to start a boardinghouse for men in Colorado.

The central character, Vivian Lane, falls in love with Morton Elder, who has both gonorrhea and syphilis, raising concerns about the impact on the 'national stock' if they were to marry and have children.

The novel is an allegory for social and political anxieties of the time, including disease hysteria and eugenic ideology.