Nora Bakley, having found herself in motherhood, felt that a woman did not need more. Mental loneliness and physical asceticism are not easy for her, but the mother is ready to do anything for the sake of her daughter. However, life puts forward its arguments in the debate about what happiness is. The very title of the novel contains a certain hint at the outcome of the conflict, but the path to harmony between mind and flesh is not at all as short as it sometimes seems...