A summary of "Life on Borrow" by Erich Maria Remarque

The novel was written in 1959 and published as a book in 1961. It tells the story of the relationship between a terminally ill woman and a professional race car driver. The author juxtaposes two perceptions of existence: the awareness of inevitable death for a man who counts every breath, and the voluntary risk of life for the thrill of the sport. In 1977, American director Sydney Pollack adapted this work for the screen as "Bobby Deerfield" (released in the Soviet Union as "Life on Loan"), starring Al Pacino.

Meeting at the mountain sanatorium

Race car driver Clerfayt arrives at the Swiss high-altitude sanatorium Bella Vista to visit his former teammate, Holman, who is being treated for tuberculosis. On a winding road, Clerfayt spooks a team of horses pulling a sleigh carrying Russian émigré Boris Volkov and a young Belgian woman, Liliane Dunkerque.

Lillian’s friend, Agnes Somerville, dies in the sanatorium. As she watches the room being cleaned and the coffin carried out to the freight elevator, twenty-four-year-old Lillian fears becoming a nameless corpse. Having survived war and hardship, she doesn’t want to spend her remaining time within the hospital walls.

Clerfayt drags Liliane to the bar at the Palace Hotel. The head doctor, nicknamed the Dalai Lama, and the older nurse, nicknamed the Crocodile, demand that the regime be followed. Clerfayt buys Liliane a branch of orchids, but she throws them off the balcony after learning the buyer took the flowers from the coffin of her deceased friend.

To restore Holman’s confidence, Clerfayt entrusts him with driving his Giuseppe sports car. After another patient party, Lillian decides to escape from the sanatorium with Clerfayt. Boris Volkov tries to stop her, but Lillian bids him farewell and leaves the mountains.

Escape to the plain and a trip to Paris

Clerfayt drives Liliane through the Alps. At a gas station run by Hubert Göring, they remove the snow chains and load the car onto a train for the journey through the Gotthard Tunnel. As they exit, a spring rain greets them. On a mountain descent, they are cut off by an aggressive driver in a sports car, who soon crashes into a pole.

Stopping at Ascona on Lake Maggiore, Clerfayt and Liliane become lovers. They dine at a lakeside restaurant and drink local wine, after which they depart for France.

In Paris, Liliane is housed at the modest Hotel Bisson on the banks of the Seine. She takes the savings from her stingy uncle Gaston, who is trying to marry her off, and spends the money on dresses at the Balenciaga salon. Liliane visits the Sainte-Chapelle, enjoying the sunlight through the stained-glass windows.

Clerfayt leaves for Rome on contract business and meets his longtime lover, Lydia Morelli. Realizing his old life no longer appeals to him, he returns to Paris to be with Liliane and moves her into the Ritz Hotel.

Racing in Sicily and a trip to Venice

Clerfayt and Liliane travel to Sicily to participate in the Targa Florio race. The heroine is received at the villa by the aesthete Levalli and Prince Fiola. On the racetrack, Clerfayt’s tire blows out, the car skids off the road, and the driver suffers a shoulder injury.

Torriani replaces Clerfayt at the wheel, setting a record speed but suffering heatstroke. Clerfayt takes over again and drives the car to fourth place. Liliane, watching the race, is disgusted by the crowd thirsting for danger and asks Clerfayt to retire from motorsport.

From Rome, Lillian flies to Venice. While at the theater, she suffers a severe pulmonary hemorrhage. A young Italian, Mario, helps her get to the Hotel Danieli. After spending a week in bed under the care of Dr. Pisani, Lillian realizes the impossibility of escaping her fate and returns to Clerfayt.

Clerfayt’s proposal and Liliane’s doubts

Clerfayt competes in the Mille Miglia race in Italy and finishes sixth. Returning to Paris, he proposes to Liliane, planning to leave racing, become a car dealer in Toulouse, and renovate his house on the Riviera.

Planning years in advance frightens Liliane. She realizes her days are numbered, and Clerfayt’s desire for a settled life is destroying their union. Liliane hides her feelings and pretends to agree to a wedding in the fall, but secretly buys a train ticket to Zurich.

They travel to the Riviera to inspect Clerfayt’s house and visit the casino in Monte Carlo, where Clerfayt wins a large sum at roulette. A quarrel breaks out between them due to Clerfayt’s jealousy of Boris Volkov. Liliane finally decides to break up with him immediately after the latest competition.

Tragedy in Monte Carlo

On the Monaco Grand Prix track in Monte Carlo, Clerfayt is successfully battling for the lead. On one of the corners, his rival Marchetti’s car skids on an oil slick and spins sideways. Clerfayt fails to brake in time and crashes into the debris, followed by another car slamming into him from behind.

The impact of the steering wheel crushes Clerfay’s chest. The driver is taken to the hospital, where he dies of internal bleeding without regaining consciousness.

Clerfayt’s greedy sister arrives at the hotel. She demands an autopsy, intending to sue the race organizers for money, seizes her brother’s property, and attempts to annul the will that left the Riviera house to Liliane. The girl refuses her claim and, in a rage, throws wilted flowers in her sister’s face.

Return to the Alps

A shocked Lillian tries to call Boris Volkov at the sanatorium, but the housekeeper says he’s gone. Believing Boris has died, Lillian heads to the train station. Volkov himself finds her there, along with his German shepherd. Having learned of Clerfayt’s death from the newspapers, Boris has come to support her.

Lillian expresses a desire to return to the mountains. They set off via Zurich to Switzerland. On an Alpine pass, the heroes meet Holman: he has fully recovered and has received a job as a racer with his former team, taking the place of the deceased Clerfayt.

Lillian returns to Bella Vista. Six weeks later, on a quiet summer day, she dies suddenly in her hospital room. Boris, returning from the village, finds her dead, a peaceful smile frozen on her face.