She is in love with him and is expecting a child from him. He perceives her only as an excellent work assistant, a person who can always be relied on. Realizing that she can no longer constantly see her loved one nearby, Deborah Cortland decides to disappear from his life. Only then does Bertram Handley suddenly realize that he may lose not only an irreplaceable employee, but - what is much more important - a woman, without whom his entire further existence simply loses its meaning.