A lonely servant girl searches for a friend. In the hotel where she works, she exchanges secret notes with a mysterious storyteller whom she intuits she could help. Shy, this storyteller consents to meet but not be seen by her. Finally, he invites her into his home, his music, and into his life. They marry and create a new life for themselves in another town. Securing time for him to play an organ at a town church threatens his sacred anonymity, so, instead, he fashions a flute to play at home from hollow sticks. Music brings him joy during a fatal illness. When he dies, the servant girl reveals their unlikely love story.
The book vividly portrays the difficulties a deformed man and a servant girl experience while getting to know one another. Descriptions of the machinations he goes through to hide himself and get along on the periphery of society are admirable, harrowing, and compassion-evoking. The girl's kind and adamant response to him—in word as well as tender touches and gestures—models acceptance. The patient and tentative exposure of one to the other comes across in dark scenes, scenes of escape, and formal language that suggests reticence. Candid exchanges in home settings breed delight and satisfaction as these barriers are overcome.
The novella reads like a fable. The faraway quality of old hotels and a timeless, quaint mountain town prevents the book from sounding preachy. At the same time, the endearing characters bring forth a convincing message of nurture and mutual respect. The importance of music to the plot contributes to the ethereal and soothing tone. This short novella's pointed but graceful impact is long, with enduring figures that captivate and intrigue and make a reader open to others' narratives.