The story takes place in Rome, and centers around a young woman named Dolores, who is married to Sir Theodore Cannynge, a recently retired diplomat. Although he is retired, Sir Theodore is not that old. According to the book, Sir Theodore married Dolores when he was forty years old and she was twenty. For ten years they have been trying to have a baby. Sir Theodore loves children and yearns to be a father. He considers the misfortune of being childless life's greatest blow.
The emotional cost of fulfilling the desires of others, and it's dramatic consequences.
