Summary

Chapter 1 opens in the year 1986. The narrator is Tomás Orilla, who is in his early thirties. He was born in Argentina. In 1976, he fled from Argentina amid social and political unrest. He has lived in New York City for most of his post-Argentina life. He married an American woman named Claire, but their marriage has begun to dissolve, due in large part to Tomás’ emotional distance caused by traumas experienced in Argentina. Recently, due to political and bureaucratic causes that are unknown to Tomás, he has been able to regain his Argentinian passport and citizenship. He has also learned that Pichuca—an elderly friend of Tomás’ family—is dying in a hospital in Argentina.

In Chapter 2, Tomás travels to Argentina by plane. It is his first time in Argentina in ten years. By the time Tomás arrives at...