Summary

The old man, a fisherman, has gone for 84 days without catching a single fish. This is considered salao, or extreme unluckiness, in the small Cuban fishing village where he lives. After the first 40 days, the parents of the boy who normally fishes with him force him to switch to a more profitable boat, and they catch three good fish in the first week he is on board. The boy is sad to have had to leave the old man he has fished with for so long, and each evening when the old man comes in empty-handed, the boy goes to help him bring in his equipment.

On the 85^th day, the boy tells the old man that he can rejoin his boat, thanks to the lucky week of fishing he had had on the other boat. The old man is the...