Joan Castleman has sacrificed everything for her husband - even her talent. She leads a life in the background, as a mother and muse. She is the wife of the famous writer Joe Castleman. Once, he was her creative writing instructor, and she was his most gifted student. For his sake, she gave up her career. Now, years later, Joe is on the brink of the pinnacle of his career: he is to be awarded the prestigious Helsinki Prize. For Joan, this is the occasion to reflect on her marriage during the long flight to the award ceremony. She takes the reader back to the beginning of their relationship in 1950s America and leads them through the literary circles of the 1980s. Above all, she questions her role as a wife, in which she has learned to hate Joe - not only because of his numerous infidelities. The real humiliation is of a different nature.