Johann Sebastian Bach's music forms the backdrop to this stunning short novel about motherhood and loss. Following the death of her daughter, a bereaved pianist immerses herself in Bach's Goldberg Variations. As the woman perfects the complex musical architecture of Bach's own study in grief, memories of her past unfold. A family, mother, father, son and daughter appear during various stages of their lives together and the story builds up to a crescendo of great emotional power.