A subtle and compelling story of human suffering enveloped in a comedy of deception. Narrated by a painter whose genius and nemesis is his ability to duplicate the works of the great masters, this is the story of his life and relationships with four provocative women: Clio, his child-bride, wilful, deceptive, dependent; Helen, his fiist wife, his beloved betrayer; Maud, his aunt, endowed with fame but not love; and Maisie, his mother, straightforward yet not altogether what she seems...