Monkeys in Winter

Dona Lukrecie and Tana three women of different origins and destinies whose stories unfold at different times The tale of the Romany woman Dona begins in the 1960s The only assets this beautiful and vital woman has are her three children fathered by different men In order to secure a livelihood for them she moves in with an older but disabled man who turns out to be a pervert Ten years later the ambitious Lukrecie is trying to avoid employment in the village After she becomes pregnant by a prospective suitor she meets an attractive young man who offers her a life abroad something she had always dreamed of Lukrecie resolves her situation in the most appalling way Tana the wife of a prosperous businessman vainly longs to have a child On the advice of a friend she goes off to a spa whose miraculous reputation is attributable to a skillful masseur Her husband however is unmoved by the joyful news