The Boat Lesson Plan

Why were Henry and his daughter separated for so long? What effort did Henry put forth to maintain a relationship with her?

When Elise was a newborn, Henry started an affair with a young still-life model who sat for him. When his wife found out, she took Elise and fled to Russia, cutting off Henry from his daughter. It seems that Henry made very little effort to see Elise after that. He states that he knew his ex-wife wouldn't let letters get through, and it seems he accepted that without much of a fight. In 17 years, he only heard from his ex-wife and daughter three times. When he received an invitation to hear Elise play, he did book tickets to fly to...