The ring's apparent theft leads Clara into a series of psychological crises and forces her to confront a long-buried complex of interpersonal issues.

The theft of the ring implicates the young Austrian au pair, Gina, whose Haitian boyfriend, Frederic, must have stolen it.

How does this practical young woman, Gina, who's going to marry an Austrian banker (following her NYC fling) regard her former employer, Clara?

With the ring returned, and peace made with Gina, Clara, her messy biography notwithstanding, is prepared to see herself as "one in a xillion" who actually do know who they are.

[1] Kirkus Reviews lauded Bellow's prose, but faulted his characterization, calling Velde "more an assemblage of striking attitudes than a fully drawn, believable character", and noting that her maternal role is "particularly flimsy".