On the Greek islands of Paros and Naxos, an American professor recalls the legendary abandonment of Ariadne and Neobule. By coincidence, he meets a young American cellist abandoned by a German industrialist. Her eccentric behavior, however, befuddles him. He theorizes that her free spirit and seemingly licentious behavior belie some kind of modern tragedy, but he despairs to find its cause. Ultimately, induced by the mystical aura of the Greek islands, it is revealed, and its outcome rattles the professor's life to the core.
