Police in New York pulled him off his Paris-bound flight and charged him with sexually assaulting a hotel chambermaid. (The charges were later dropped, and prosecutors said they doubted the maid's reliability.) An aide phoned Ms. Merkel at her central-Berlin home that Saturday and told her the news.

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There, a happy gig in a pub leaves him with a stowaway on his return trip to Edinburgh: the chambermaid from his hotel, a waiflike girl who becomes, in the city, his surrogate daughter.

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When doctors occupy a service niche like the chambermaid in Las Vegas or the school teacher in Chicago, the expectations and compensation of the physician-worker will be defined in ways that may make the benefits of collective bargaining appear very attractive.

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Natalie Christie as the chambermaid Adele is also captivating, and her performance as a would-be actress in Prince Orlofsky's party is another highlight of the second.

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