In this tale of two Peruvian cities from Nobel Laureate Mario Vargas Llosa, Piura and Lima are rocked by scandal and the disintegrating bonds of loyalty between the generations. The novel follows two fascinating characters who are destined to intersect: neat, endearing Felícito Yanaqué, the victim of blackmail, and Ismael Carrera, owner of an insurance company in Lima, who cooks up a plan to avenge himself against the sons who want him dead. Rebellious in their own quiet ways, each is an honorable man trying to seize control of his destiny in a time where all seems set in stone. Vargas Llosa also gives us a chance to revisit such characters as Sergeant Lituma, Don Rigoberto, Doña Lucrecia, and Fonchito.