Millie begins to have visions again of what 'the product' will do to the people the bomb is dropped on, and also the local people working and living near Hanford. The fierce river and the local maddening winds were part of the choice for the site, hoping they would clean the air and water of the toxic substance. The race is on to end the war and everyone at the site is focused on this, though most really don't know what they are part of. Hall, one of the main scientists leading the project (Einstein and Fermi are also mentioned).

Fictionally, Millie is personal secretary to Dr. Historically fascinating, this is the site where plutonium was developed for the Atom bombs that ended the war. She breaks away to a fresh start as a typist at the Hanford site in nearby Washington on the Columbia River. Cassandra, the Greek maiden who could prophecy the future but was never believed is manifested here in Mildred Groves, a peculiar young woman who has visions of future death and destruction, but is called Mad Millie by her peers and her hateful mother and sister. Stickered as 'fantasy' by my library, this book combines a crucial element of Greek myth with a modern setting. A timely novel about patriarchy and militancy, The Cassandra uses both legend and history to look deep into man's capacity for destruction, and the resolve and compassion it takes to challenge the powerful. Inspired by the classic Greek myth, this 20th century reimagining of Cassandra's story is based on a real WWII compound that the author researched meticulously. As the men she works for come closer to achieving their goals, her visions intensify to a nightmarish pitch, and she eventually risks everything to question those in power, putting her own physical and mental health in jeopardy. But her new life takes a dark turn when she starts to have prophetic dreams about what will become of humankind if the project is successful. Mildred is delighted, at first, to be part of something larger than herself after a lifetime spent as an outsider. Only the top generals and scientists know that this product is processed plutonium, for use in the first atomic bombs. Hanford, a massive construction camp on the banks of the Columbia River in remote South Central Washington, exists to test and manufacture a mysterious product that will aid the war effort.

Gifted and cursed with the ability to see the future, Mildred runs away from home to take a secretary position at the Hanford Research Center in the early 1940s. Mildred Groves is an unusual young woman.

The Cassandra follows a woman who goes to work in a top secret research facility during WWII, only to be tormented by visions of what the mission will mean for humankind.

Cassandra a novel and four essays