Chapter 15 and 16 Summary

After the incident with the Sternbergs, Carlos begins to write a play called The Names. He wants to bring in the images of the birds he saw at Esperanza and give the children a vehicle to understand what is going on in their community. The two people that Carlos works with — Silvio and Esme — think that the idea of writing a play about the disappearances is suicidal, that the Theater is still open only because the generals have allowed for it to be and that this play is a huge mistake. Carlos continues on regardless.

The play opens on a Saturday afternoon. It is a stark play with Carlos playing the guitar, telling the stories of those individuals who have disappeared, depicting them as birds.There are members of the Argentinian government in his audience, as he expected there...