The story of an evolution of a girl who has drifted through her youth, satisfied with second bests and sorry for herself, into a woman with capacity for responsibility in the Soviet organization of which she becomes a part. Not a convincing book, nor one that consistently holds the interest, for there is no sympathy created for the heroine, who even in her transformation into a useful member of society is unable to emerge wholly from her self-absorption. There is skill in the handling of detail; the portraits of her two husbands are dealt with in uncompromising style. The story is uneven in both interest and manner.