Plot summary

Versory, a literary lecturer engaged in spreading English culture (“From Beowulf

Beowulf

Beowulf , but modern scholars agree in naming it after the hero whose life is its subject." of an Old English heroic epic poem consisting of 3182 alliterative long lines, set in Scandinavia, commonly cited as one of the most important works of Anglo-Saxon literature.It survives in a single...

 to Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas

Dylan Marlais Thomas was a Welsh poet and writer, Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 11 January 2008. who wrote exclusively in English. In addition to poetry, he wrote short stories and scripts for film and radio, which he often performed himself...

”) throughout Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

, needs a ride after delivering a talk to a group of matrons. Imagine his surprise when his driver is the gorgeous Hannelore, a girl in a thousand.

Her blond beauty and charming personality ensnare his heart and imagination. They arrange to meet again in Paris, to attend a meeting of literary lecturers from other countries.

It is in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

 that Versory’s suspicions are aroused. How does she afford her expensive clothes and other habits? Hannelore claims that there is no way to contact her, that she will get in touch with him. Even though she contacts him regularly and her affection for him is obvious, he wonders if Hannelore is what she seems.

And for that matter, Versory himself is not what he appears to be, his career as a lecturer is actually just a convenient cover for other activities. In fact, in this fast-moving and paradoxical story, few people are what they seem to be, even to themselves.

Is the lecturer from Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

 interested only in stimulating an appreciation of Russian literature

Russian literature

Russian literature refers to the literature of Russia or its émigrés, and to the Russian-language literature of several independent nations once a part of what was historically Russia or the Soviet Union...

? And what is his connection with the gentleman from South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

? What is Hannelore doing in the elegant establishment of Mme. Putiphar?

Where is Vesory’s chief taking her in the sports car

Sports car

A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....

 -- and why? Does she really love Versory or is she only using him?

The answers to these questions are revealed as "A Girl from Lübeck" unfolds. It is a story with several levels: it is a romance, a tale of suspense and intrigue, a lighthearted satire, but it is also a parable. For in the end, the mystery surrounding the girl from Lübeck

Lübeck

The Hanseatic City of Lübeck is the second-largest city in Schleswig-Holstein, in northern Germany, and one of the major ports of Germany. It was for several centuries the "capital" of the Hanseatic League and, because of its Brick Gothic architectural heritage, is listed by UNESCO as a World...

 is cleared away and the meaning of Faith

Faith

Faith is confidence or trust in a person or thing, or a belief that is not based on proof. In religion, faith is a belief in a transcendent reality, a religious teacher, a set of teachings or a Supreme Being. Generally speaking, it is offered as a means by which the truth of the proposition,...

 and Grace

Divine grace

In Christian theology, grace is God’s gift of God’s self to humankind. It is understood by Christians to be a spontaneous gift from God to man - "generous, free and totally unexpected and undeserved" - that takes the form of divine favour, love and clemency. It is an attribute of God that is most...

is revealed.