A middle-aged Black man from New York ends up in Moscow. He meets a woman from central Russia who came to Moscow on an excursion. They get to know each other, spend the entire day together, and part ways. But the power they can't overcome moves them toward each other.

Variations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 can be read as stand-alone stories, but for a full understanding of the novel philosophy, the connecting thread that runs through the entire novel, the interweaving of characters and their situations, it's better to read the Variations in numbered sequence.