Chapter 1 Summary

On July 19, 1996, Bud Mitchell and Jill Winslow drive down a beach road on Long Island, New York. The two lovers, who are both married to other people and are having an affair, are looking for a secluded spot on the beach where they can videotape themselves having sex. Bud drives his Explorer onto an isolated dune, where the two lovers set up a tripod and video camera. Bud and Jill perform sexual acts on each other and then, with the camera still rolling, run down to the ocean, where they swim and then have sex again on the beach. After they have sex, Jill looks up into the sky. She gets Bud's attention, and they both see a streak of light going from the ocean to the sky. Next, they see a huge fireball in the sky, and they watch the fireball as...