Summary

At the beginning of Chapter 1, Simón, Inés, and six-year-old Davíd arrive in the town of Estrella, which is located in an unknown Spanish-speaking country. They have fled from legal authorities in the nearby town of Novilla, although the book does not say why. The three of them travel with their dog, Bolivár, and they come to a fruit farm. Simón begins to work as a fruit-picker on the farm, and Davíd spends his time playing with the children of the other farm workers. One of the children throws a rock at a duck, breaking its wing. Simón and Davíd have a conversation about the immorality of this act. Simón says, “If we do a bad deed, we get no joy out of it. Our conscience sees to that” (10).

In Chapter 2, Davíd comes to...