Summary

Chapter 1 begins near the end of the narrative. The story is set in an unnamed rural village in Trinidad; the village is somewhat close to the city of Port of Spain. Clyde, one of the central characters, works as a construction worker. He lives in the village in a house that he inherited from his father. His wife is named Joy, and their two sons—Peter and Paul—are 13 years old. When Clyde arrives home from work, Paul is not there, and neither Joy nor Peter know where he is. The previous day, a small group of robbers broke into the home while the family was there and stole some of their valuable. Clyde and Paul had an argument the following morning. So, Clyde thinks that Paul may have gone on a walk to calm down. Clyde goes to the neighbors, but they have...