Merry Levov from American Pastoral is the only daughter of Swede and Dawn Levov. She has everything: money, love, good health...all the advantages of living in America. The one thing that derails it all for her is her inability to communicate normally. She has a debilitating stutter that so psychologically scars her when she hits puberty that she never is able to recover. She gains weight and stops taking care of herself. She becomes fascinated with the Tibetan monks who are burning themselves in protest over the Vietnam War. Merry begins joining militant protestors who are bombing various buildings. One of the bombs she is reponsible for kills several people. When the reality of what she's set into motion sinks in, she is unable to cope and begins a spiritual journey that ends in her death.
