She is a living legend, a symbol of fierce independence who defied convention to live life on her own terms. He was the greatest screen actor of all time, the personification of the rock-solid American male. During their twenty-six years together, Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy mesmerized the world with their famous on-screen chemistry. Yet their private love affair--which ended only with Tracy's death in 1967-- remained shrouded in secrecy. Now, as Hepburn turns ninety, Christopher Andersen draws on conversations with Kate and the couple's intimate friends to paint the first full portrait of the beloved American icons and the life they shared, revealing the strength, wit and dignity that characterized this historic partnership.