December Summary

The first chapter is called "December." It opens with the confused thoughts of a man named Decimus Jones, who imagines he is being hunted by wild animals, and decides to make a run for escape. In actuality, he has gone insane and is running across a busy highway, where he is struck and killed.

The traffic delay from Jones' accident affects Philip Mason, who is driving from Denver to Los Angeles to attend a meeting of sales executives for a large insurance company called Angel City. Mason arrives late, his throat hurting from breathing the heavily-polluted air. He meets another executive who has also arrived late because a group calling themselves Trainites had created an anti-car disturbance on his route. Following the meeting, Mason's boss, a man named William Chalmers, tells Mason he and his family will be visiting the Denver area on...