Summary

Chapter 1 opens in Algeciras, Spain in October of 2018. It is nighttime. Two men—Maurice Hearne and Charlie Redmond—are waiting at the port of the city’s harbor. They are from Cork, Ireland and are in their early fifties. They are waiting in the port because they believe that Maurice’s daughter, Dilly, might be arriving on a boat from Tangier. They speak to the man at the information booth, but their Spanish is limited, so they have trouble communicating. They describe Dilly as a 23-year-old white woman with dreadlocked hair. Maurice and Charlie lament that, despite having been to Spain many times, they have not been able to learn the language. There is an announcement in Spanish on the PA system, and they do not comprehend it. They briefly lament how being middle-aged has affected their looks. They have not seen Dilly in...