In
New York, 1952, Sabina is a thirty-year-old actress married to Alan, a man five years her senior. Alan treats her with a paternal gentleness, calling her “little one”, and provides her with stability and comfort. Although Sabina values his love, she repeatedly lies to him and engages in a series of affairs. She disguises her infidelities behind her acting career, claiming to be away on professional trips while actually meeting her lovers. Sabina’s first major affair is with Philip, a European opera singer whose good looks and status allow her to feel powerful and envied. She later becomes involved with Mambo, a Black jazz musician, though their relationship is shaped by her fetishization of his body. Constantly fearful of discovery, she lives under the anxiety of being seen with her lovers while maintaining her marriage to Alan. She then turns to John, a former
fighter pilot burdened by guilt from his wartime experiences. Sabina attempts to comfort him, but when he sees her with Alan, she becomes overwhelmed by shame, and John distances himself. Her final relationship is with Donald, a
gay man who views her as pure and nurturing. Through their bond, Sabina feels a fleeting sense of redemption and reconnects with qualities she associates with her own mother. Throughout these encounters, Sabina’s identity becomes increasingly apparent. Each relationship highlights a different aspect of her personality, but none provides lasting fulfillment. She recognizes that she cannot find wholeness either in her affairs or in her marriage. Her constant pursuit of passion only deepens her dissatisfaction, leaving her uncertain whether her divided self is the cause of her infidelities or their result. The story concludes with Sabina breaking down in tears at her friend Djuna’s apartment. The narration describes her features dissolving, as though her essence itself were disappearing, leaving her search for identity unresolved. ==Reception==