Chapter 1 Summary

This chapter opens on a chilly day in February. Molly Lane, a restaurant critic, has died after a sudden illness and her friends and admirers have gathered for her funeral. Her wealthy husband, George Lane cared for her when she fell ill. He did so in order to control who could and could not have access to her in her final months. George has a reputation for being greedy and managerial, but his role as the grieving widower has lifted him above general contempt on this day.

Of Molly's many lovers, three who are of importance attend her funeral. Composer Clive Linley and newspaper editor Vernon Halliday are old friends. Both men despise Julian Garmony, the British Foreign Secretary, whose right-wing political policies offend the more liberal sympathies of Clive and Vernon.

Clive Linley has been commissioned to write the Millenial Symphony. After...