He has to go to Sweden to bury her, while also juggling his other obligations, including the Transdniestrians, who themselves are hard to get a fix on. Dick seeks consolation, of sorts, in the arms of Eleonora, finding there the sort of intimacy that seems to be missing from his life. Eleonora stays on his mind as he goes to Europe and he imagines returning to her, making more out of the one moment of weakness. Dick is, however, clearly not a man made for these human ties. While in Europe he finds out that during his absence the immigration authorities have cracked down on illegal immigrants, and Eleonora seems to have been picked up by them.
Communication seems incredibly difficult, love an impossibility.
But Gustafsson ends the novel on a hopeful note, suggesting that Dick may have learnt something on his brief wanderings, that he may be ready for something more. The novel is told in short chapters, and offers a large number of varied episodes. Dick seems to drift along, but actually quite a lot happens to him. There are several storylines, including Dick's coming to terms with his mother's death, which brings back long displaced memories of his childhood. There are also the mysterious Transdniestrians, clients quite different from any Dick has ever had.