In this short scene, Roxane introduces us to the characters of the novel. She tells us that the novel is set in a remote part of France, in the middle of a summer vacation. The narrator and Roxane are walking along a deserted railroad track, when suddenly they come upon a bamboo raft, which they call a "herb" because it is surrounded by a "starling sky". The narrator tells Roxane that the place looks like a "dark mysterious world" because of the pitch of the "pitch" of the raft and the darkness of the night. He tells her that he will help her find her way back to civilization.