Chapter 1 Summary

The novel opens with a vague, misty view of an undefined couple honeymooning in le Grau du Roi on the French Riviera. The scene becomes more distinct as they bike along the canal, swim nude in the cove and fish from the jetty. They are thrilled by every facet of their existence, even tiny details like the type of preserve they will have for breakfast or how their eggs will be cooked at the cafy. Every detail is precious and in sharp relief as only young love can make it. Nothing has had time to become ordinary. The couple, identified only as "the young man" and "the girl," act as one, waking, making love in the half-light and then sleeping again. At breakfast, the young man proposes a nap after lunch and declares he is the inventive type. The girl declares she is...