Summary

Chapter 1 begins with a third-person description of parties at the Tuñóns’ house, which always ran late. This usual state of affairs is contrasted with a couple leaving a costume party at the house at 10 p.m. one night. The couple consisted of a young man, who the narration mentions first and who is later introduced as Hugo, and a young woman named Noemí Taboada.

Hugo and Noemí took a taxi together, and Noemí exited at her house, going to see her father in his office. The office was decorated in a modern style that reflected the family’s newly wealthy status, as well as her father’s bold taste and his willingness to show it. It becomes clear that Noemí’s father had called the party to summon her home. At first she assumed that this was because her father, who ran...