Pages 1-20 Summary

Chip, Sid, Hiero, Coleman, and Delilah are living in a flat in Paris. Chip, Sid, Hiero, and Coleman are in a band. They left Berlin, escaping to Paris in an attempt to escape the war. All of them, except Coleman, who is staying with his girlfriend, are hung over from drinking too much the night before.

When Hiero wakes up, he wants a glass of milk to help his stomach. Since they don't have any milk in the house Hiero gets his shoes and coat on to go out to get some milk. Sid follows Hiero because Hiero is young and because Hiero doesn't have any identity papers to be wandering the streets. They go to Bug's, which is the nearby tobacconist, but the shop is closed. They wander instead in the Coup, which is a bar and café.

The bartender...