Irina Wilde's trilogy reveals the complexity of the process of a girl's adaptation to the adult world, with its demands, values ​​and often double morality of the early 20th century. Even in her own home, she feels like a decoration for connoisseurs, like a tiny butterfly, who are admired in her colorful, festive clothes. In her life, school and society only deepen the feeling of limitation.

However, this period is a time when the demands of a patriarchal society conflict with the real needs caused by the First World War. This is a new generation that is different. The main character's refusal to marry becomes an expressive manifestation of these changes.

But growing up means not only the freedom of personal choices, but also political maturation. The pressure of colonial culture forces Darka to make a conscious political choice - from participating in a high school organization, where she was interested in the Ukrainian language and culture, to active participation in the Ukrainian movement of Bukovyna.