In 1978, Gretel Rae Cummings was working as Adam Brewster's assistant. Adam was a millionaire and was in love with Pat Ashley, Llanview's TV personality. Gretel knew that Adam had a secret, that he had epilepsy. Soon enough, Pat found out the truth and Adam and Pat were married. Gretel also knew that Adam was in a shady arms deal. She begged him to get out of it, but he refused. She couldn't take it with him anymore and quit her job. Brad Vernon, who had thought Gretel was attractive, asked her out to dinner. Brad tried to seduce Gretel, but she was too smart for that. Brad almost raped Gretel, but he didn't succeed. They always disliked each other after that.

Later Dorian became involved in Pat's talk show, Gretel knew that Dorian would keep the talk show all to her self and not give it back to Pat. Dorian had to give the show back, though when Pat had Asa as a guest. Shortly after, Gretel dated Herb Callison, Llanview's D.A.. Dorian lured Herb into going on a secret trip. Herb knew this would mean he would have to begin his affair with Dorian again. He also knew that if Gretel found out, they would have to break-up. They went to Paris together, but they just fought over Gretel the whole time. Herb flew back to Llanview, but he only found out that Gretel already knew about their secret trip. Gretel left Llanview heartbroken.

While gone in San Francisco, she got a degree in psychology. Gretel decided while there she wanted to be called by her middle name, Rae, from now on. Rae became a very respected relationship counselor and became very wealthy. With her new found wealth, she went to Switzerland and met Daniel Faulkner. They soon married.

One day, in 1999, Daniel left on a business trip and he never returned. Rae soon searched for clues to his disappearance. Her search took her to Paris, where she found a diary and love letters that said he had an affair with a younger woman. Rae set off to find them, and her search led her to Llanview.

Not long after she arrived in Llanview she found the woman. Her name was Grace Monroe, and she was in a relationship with Kevin Buchanan. Mad at Grace for having an affair with her husband, Rae tried to ruin Grace's relationship with Kevin, but she realized that didn't work. So she slowly and unnoticeably, she tried to lead Kevin to believe Grace was a horrible woman. Rea's tricks didn't work so she stopped, and tried to forgive Grace.

Meanwhile, in Llanview Rae became very good friends with John Sykes. Rae and John both had feelings for one another, but neither would admit to them. Then in a freak accident Grace died. Right before she died Grace told Rea that her husband Daniel was in Pine Valley(All My Children). Rea knew she had to go to Pine Valley if she would ever find Daniel, so she said good bye to everyone in Llanview, and left to go to Pine Valley. And she left John and both John and Rae were heartbroken they didn't admit their love for eachother in time.

While in Pine Valley(All My Children, anther ABC soap) Rae took a room at Myrtle Fargate's boarding house and revealed that she was looking for Daniel in the hope he could lead her to the daughter that had been taken from her at childbirth. This hit Myrtle hard as she had given up a baby girl for adoption years ago. Rae also teamed up with Tad and Dixie Martin in an effort to expose a shady lawyer involved in black market baby adoptions, but their sting operation uncovered nothing useful and Rae feared her search would never be successful.

Rae went to the Fannie Battle Home for Unwed Mothers and was surprised to find Myrtle there. Myrtle covered her real reasons for being there and both women learned that all birth records from the home had been written in a Bible. Unfortunately, the desk containing the Bible had been auctioned off. Myrtle and Rae returned home and Myrtle soon made the startling revelation that Rae was the daughter she had given up for adoption. After Rae's shock wore off, she and Myrtle shared a loving reunion and their close bond deepened.

Hoping the information contained in the Bible could lead her to her long-lost daughter, Rae set out to locate it. Rae's search took her to the town of Port Charles(General Hospital) and with the help of her friend Tony Jones, Rae found the Bible she had been looking for, but the page she was looking for in it was gone!

While in Port Charles, Rae became fast friends with Dr. Eve Lambert. Rae and Eve hit it off so well that Rae even hoped that Eve might be the daughter she was looking for. That wasn't to be the case, but Rae and Eve's friendship remained tight.

Rae returned to Llanview and to work at The Banner. Recently, Rae received a letter from her estranged husband Daniel and she renewed the search for her daughter with vigor. Daniel's letter turned out to be nothing more than a ploy to taunt Rae, but her determination to find her daughter remains undaunted. Daniel stayed in Llanview tricking and taunting Rae. One night at Crossroads Daniel was their, and intended to tell Rae who her child was, but before he could he was shot by a hitman that was out to kill Daniel. Daniel wasn't killed, but before he left town he told Rae that her child was Max Buchanan.

Rae wanted to find out if Max was actually her child or not, but Max wouldn't let her find out. While she tried to find out she made an enemy, Skye Chandler. Over time they even had a greater hate for eachother. Finally Rae was able to do a test on Max, and it turned up negative, Max was not Rae's child, but through that she made Skye a serious enemy. Rae now thought she would never find out who her child was.

Back when Rae returned she told John that she was looking for her child, and thats why she came to Llanview. Then with no secrets between the two, John and Rae finally admited their feelings for one another. John then started to help Rae find her child while they began dating. Rae and John finally made love one night, but through the window Skye was watching, and taking pictures of the two. Skye then published the pictures of them in The Sun(a local newspaper that she works for), and wrote an article about how John's love for Rae let her ex-husband Daniel leave town after commiting several crimes. Of course the accusations were false, but because of the possibility of it being true Bo Buchanan, the police commissioner was forced to striped John of his badge, and start an investigation. This even Rae hate Skye even more.

John, while visiting the police station, saw his friend Sophia Pelligrino their, and she had some very shocking news to tell him. Sophia had found a document at the cemetary that had the name of Rae's daughter on it. The document proved that Syke was Rae's daughter! Sophia and John were both in shock, and they decided it would be best if John told Rae the truth. A couple days later John saw Rae screaming at Skye for what she had done to John, and harrasing her about what a terrible person she was. John stopped Rae from saying anything else that she would regret later. John took Rae into a room, and told her the shocking truth that Skye was her long lost daughter that Rae had been searching a year now for. Rae didn't believe John at first, but then John should her the document that proved it, and Rae was forced to come to terms with the truth. Rae was comforted by John, and then they both decided it would be best if they not tell anyone else for now.

At Todd Manning and Blair Crammer's wedding, Todd stopped the wedding at told many secrets to people in Llanview. Todd ended up telling Skye that Rae was her mother. Skye was in disbelief. She confronted her father Adam Chandler(on another ABC soap, All My Children) about it, and he told her it was true. Skye and Rae had a mother and daughter reunion, but Skye didn't accept Rae. She hated Rae, and only wanted to know who her father was. Rae was very sad that her relationship with her mother turned out bad, but dealt with that. Rae and Skye flew to Port Charles(another ABC soap, General Hospital), and told Skye's father, Alan Quartmaine about her. Alan and Skye had a nice reunion except for the fact that the rest of the family hated both Skye and Rae. After Rae made sure Skye was fine in Port Charles Rae flew back to Llanview.

Rae and John's relationship continued to grow. They were both very much in love. Later on, in August of 2001, John got a job offer in San Francisco. It was a huge promotion, and John took it. He was only suppose to be gone for a short while though, and it wasn't suppose to be a permanent deal. When John told Rae about it she was very sad, but since John was coming back she decided to stay in Llanview while he left. A couple months later John hadn't come back yet and wasn't calling her much anymore, so Rae took a vacation and went to see him in San Francisco. When Rae got to San Francisco John broke up with her, and told her that he was going to be living in San Francisco permanently. A heartbroken Rae went back to Llanview.

Rae got help from her many friends in getting over the loss of John. Since then, Rae gave many people pyschiatric help both court appointed and regular such as Todd, Blair, Jen Rappaport, and Asa Buchanan. Rae went back to see Skye in Port Charles on the holidays several times. Skye and Rae are getting along, and even found themselves calling each other mother and daughter.