MADAME and her Companion, who narrates the story, are travelling by boat deep into the heart of Peru. Their journey is frequently enlivened by the attentions of the Captain, who often recounts snippets of information regarding his country and its past.

One night, the Companion is startled by a ghostly visitor to her cabin: a man who awakens her from sleep and attempts to communicate some message. On coming to her aid, the Captain and crew members can find no trace of an intruder.

She later has a curious dream in which she is travelling with this man, first by air and then by train. In her dream, there is clearly a warm relationship between them.

Finally they reach a major centre and during their exploration of this city, the Companion finds her attention caught by a figure sleeping in a corner of the main railway station. The face of this figure is identical to that of the man in her dream.

But even as she watches, he becomes the focus of an argument among a group of soldiers and is lost to view behind the gathering crowd of onlookers. The Captain hastens her away. On leaving the square outside the station, she hears what may be gunshots.

They make their way to a restaurant, progress being halted first by a military procession and then by the appearance of a mysterious black car.

Following the meal, the Captain leads them through a labyrinth of alleyways until they find themselves at the edge of a vast and beautiful lake.