In this chapter, we are introduced to a young woman who has just returned from a trip to the seashore in the south of France. She is very excited to be back in her native land, but she is also very nervous about being separated from her family, especially since she has not seen them in a very long time. She feels that she is in danger of falling in love with a man who is not her own age, and she is afraid that if she is separated, she will not be able to get back to her family.