This is the sequel to and the conclusion of The Manor. It continues the portrayal of a period the author describes as "the epoch between the Polish insurrection of 1863 and the end of the nineteenth century... The Jews now began to play an important role in Polish industry, commerce, the arts and sciences. All the spiritual and intellectual ideas that triumphed in the modern era had their roots in the world of that time."The human condition, in a particular time and place-man's estate-is the theme of this major novel. As one character says, "It's not child's play to be born, to marry, to bring forth generations, to grow old, to die."