The Hot Zone Chapter Summary & Analysis - Part 1, Chapter 1 Something in the Forest Summary

Part 1, Chapter 1 Something in the Forest Summary

Chapter one introduces the reader to Charles Monet. He is a French expatriate working on a sugar plantation in western Kenya. The story begins on New Year's Day, 1980, when Charles and a woman take an overnight trip to Mount Elgon, a formerly active volcano. During their trip, they visit Kitum Cave.

After returning to his quiet life, Monet becomes ill. The reader knows that he is experiencing a catastrophic illness, but Charles and those who treat him are unaware of how serious it truly is. He experiences headaches and backaches for several days before spiking a fever and vomiting violently for a long period of time. His eyes turn red, his face becomes expressionless, and his personality changes. Finally, a coworker drives him to a hospital in the city of Kisumu.

Doctors at the hospital cannot explain Monet's illness, and their antibiotics have no effect, so they put him...
(read more)