Chapter 1 Summary

The story begins from the perspective of the 100-year-old president of the United States, who resides in the Empire State building. He is writing an account of his life. He introduces himself as Dr. Wilbur Daffodil-11 Swain. Wearing a toga of purple drapes, he says he is the former and final president and the only one to get divorced while in the White House. The city of New York, like the rest of the country, has been devastated by a disease called the Green Death. He, his granddaughter Melody, and her lover Isadore are the only ones living in the building. Their nearest neighbor, Vera Chipmunk-5 Zappa, lives 1.5 km away on a farm where slaves help her cultivate crops and raise livestock. Visitors are rare since bridges and tunnels are down and people are afraid of the plague that has given Manhattan the...