The novel is a frank depiction of the emotional entanglements that ensnare a woman called Chia-lo, her ex-boyfriend, and her husband. The men's personalities are quite different from one another, but both are selfish and neither is willing to take on the ordinary commitment of being in a relationship. But commitment is all the majority of women ask for in a man.
小說中具體描述女主角佳洛與前男友和丈夫之間的種種情愛糾葛，兩個男人性情迥異，但都自私、任性地規避作為「尋常丈夫」的責任，而「尋常丈夫」卻是絕大多數女人對婚姻唯一的期許。