This novel expands upon two quotations from Ford Madox Ford's The Good Soldier, exploring connection and isolation among four friends: Ava Martel, a professor of Women's Studies in Chicago; her boyfriend, Tony Ferro, a cardiac surgeon; and Boyd and Claire Buchanan, respectively a film producer and a professor of Art History in Los Angeles. Permutations ensue, made significant by the desire for parenthood. The original title was American Minuet, which more accurately reflects the book's ambition to comment on professional, marital, social, and sexual life in modern America.