The Turn of the Balance

"The Turn of the Balance" by Brand Whitlock is a story set in a small town blanketed in snow, where the lives of the privileged Elizabeth Ward and the struggling Koerner family become intertwined. The narrative opens with Elizabeth, charmed by the snowfall, even as she attends to her comfortable life, while Gusta Koerner deals with her family's hardships after her father's railroad accident. The differences between Elizabeth's privileged life and Gusta's struggle highlight themes of social class, justice, and duty, setting the scene for events where justice and morality are tested.