Part 1, Storm In June: Chapters 9 and 10 Summary

Gabriel Corte, being overly discriminate about where he sleeps, ends up sleeping in his car with Florence since the hotels are crammed full and his fame and position is ineffective in getting what he wants. The hotel room he turns down looks out on a petrol depot, and Corte is secretly afraid that they will be bombed if they stay there. He is appalled and in denial over being afraid but decides they will sleep in the car for one night. The roads are jammed with people trying to get out of the city, and the tenor is hushed in fear of an unexpected bomb. People are sleeping everywhere on floors and in the streets, their heads supported by suitcases. Their sadness about what is to come "lacked both courage and hope. This...