Chapter 1 Summary

A woman in Washington, D.C. is recalling events in which she participated many years earlier in the arid regions of Northern Mexico. She thinks of Tomas Arroyo (anglicized Tom Brook), who had been her lover, and the dreams of what could have been. She was an American woman visiting Mexico, and to pursue such a dream was beyond her ability given the circumstances. She recalls crossing the border back into the United States and looking back at the Mexicans who had accompanied her there: a young boy, Pedro, already carrying arms, and an older soldier. She recalls the desert and the hot harsh climate and her dreams that dried up and died there.

Chapter 1 Analysis

This book starts out with stream-of-consciousness recollections of Harriet Winslow, one of the three main characters in the book.