...Maria was stunned: the cufflinks of the man standing half-turned towards her had “Grey Cardinal” emblazoned on it. She, as a novice oceanographer, discovered this rare pearl at the bottom of the Atlantic during that long-ago expedition. Pictures of the past flashed before her mind's eye: an American hospital, the doctor John Spark, who saved her life, their love, fleeting happiness, farewell, pearls as a keepsake. And then - endless separation and almost extinct hope of meeting. After all, 30 years have already passed... The stranger turned to Mary, and she immediately recognized John.