This story shows a repressive regime, in which the one vestige of hope lies in the determination of Mrs Klusak, a simple village widow, to get through to her gravely ill sister. Beginning her eventful journey, she is caught up in a street revolt, is given an injection and wakes up in prison to find her head has been shaved. Mistaken at first for a man, she is released, acquires a wig and hitches a lift on a goods train. Disgusted by the driver's advances, she escapes, only to find herself, a few days later, featuring in a sideshow in a travelling circus where she meets Timki, a small boy who plays a significant part in her 'progress'. Fleeing from the circus after it is destroyed by a storm, they both reach Lake Bartoga, where she becomes the District Officer's housekeeper. In trying to win a favour for the boy, she sacrifices her honour and dignity. When the villa is shelled and her employer killed, she escapes again, eventually reaching her sister's town, where the story comes to an unexpected climax.
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