In this chapter, we are introduced to a number of characters, each of whom has a significant role in the plot of the novel. The first person we meet in this chapter is the president of the Republic of China, who is in the middle of a conversation with his wife, the vice-president. The president tells his wife that he does not care what the vice president thinks of her, because she is not a "fit" match for him. He tells her to take care of herself and not to worry about what other people think of her. He also tells her that he will not permit her to escape. The vice president asks her to come and have a hot bath with