Prologue Summary

Zapata Swamp. September 8, 1948. Naturalists Ignacio and Blanca Agüero are riding on horseback through the Zapata Swamp. They are hunting the elusive ruddy ducks for a new museum collection in Boston. Years earlier, before Blanca had fallen ill, the Agüeros gathered many specimens in the Zapata Swamps.

It was noon when the couple stopped to rest. As Blanca stood wiping the sweat from her brow, she felt a light feathery wind on the nape of her neck. As she turned to look, she caught sight of a rare bee hummingbird. Blanca turned to alert her husband only to find Ignacio with his shotgun pointed straight at her. A shot rang out. The horses bolted. Blanca Agüero collapsed to the ground. Ignacio Agüero sat on the ground holding his wife's body. When nightfall approached, he carried his wife's body seventeen miles...