Passing is Nella Larsen's second novel, written in 1929. The main character of the story is Irene Redfield, a lady prominently ensconded in Harlem's vibrant society of the 1920s. Her charmed existance, however, is shaken up by a chance encounter with Clare Kendry, a childhood friend that has been "passing for white" and hiding her true Negro identity from everyone, including her racist husband. Clare's actions provoke both ladies to confront the hazards of public and private deception.