Summary

“Between Us” begins with Dores’s titular song about the failure of a significant relationship and the hope that persists within it. Chapter 17 begins with Dores admitting that she gave up on music after Graça’s death. Vinicius’s insistence that Dores record with the young musician slowly brought her back to herself at age 53. During Dores’s newfound clarity, she accompanied Vinicius’s recording sessions. One day, he confronted her about her decades-long emotional absence. Right then, they began composing together again. Eventually, they had recorded an entire record together. They found comfort in their partnership, and they married a year later. Dores reveals, though, that their relationship was a platonic one.

Chapter 18 began with the end of World War II. The changing needs of the audience was reflected in the films, which demanded humor and lightheartedness. The Blue Moon Band performed...