A slant examination of the life of women before children, with children and after the children have gone. Gwen is living in Paris in a garret suited to her artist's calling. She spends most of her life not painting. Her lover, Rodin, is becoming inattentive. Moth is at home looking after her children. Her days are lit up by visits to art class with her son - or rather, by Adam the art teacher. Elizabeth is waiting to die. She still enjoys writing to her correspondent on death row in America, though: It's a toss-up between the two of them as to who will go first.