The chapter opens with a flashback to the beginning of the novel, when the protagonist is a young boy in his early twenties. He is the protagonist's father, and he is a member of the family that owns the fictional city of Buenos Aires, which is located on the Atlantic coast of South America. Buenos Aires is the capital of the country, and the protagonist lives in the city with his father, his mother, and his two younger brothers. The protagonist is introduced to the city's residents, who are shocked to learn that the protagonist has been murdered in the middle of the night at the club where he works.