Vice President Ruben Iglesias emerges as one of the most endearing characters and undergoes a life-transition in the months of the hostage holding, in the end preferring to give up his vice presidency and just become a gardener. What does take place in the next 300 or so pages is a fascinating character study of several of the major characters including Coss and Hosokawa who fall in love though neither can speak the other’s language. Just about this time in the novel, within the first dozen pages, the author announces in a general sense what the outcome will be, so there is no real element of surprise to be expected. The next day all house servants, women guests (except Roxane Coss) and any men who are either ill or pretend to be, are released, leaving 39 hostages. Before long it is too late to do anything, the house is surrounded by troops, and a hostage situation develops.
The terrorist are surprised and disappointed in the absence of the president and don’t really have any contingency plans nor any ideas what to do. They were after the president of the country, who he had stayed home watch his favorite soap opera. However, they weren’t interested in the guests, not even the famous Coss or the superrich Hosokawa. After dinner there is a recital and as it is ending a group of terrorists break in and take over the house holding all guests as hostages. In order to draw him to this party Roxane Coss is invited to sing for the private dinner party hosted by the country’s vice president. Hosokawa is not only fabulously wealthy but an opera fanatic, especially infatuated by the famous lyric soprano, Roxane Coss. In an unnamed South American country a birthday party is taking place in honor of Karasumi Hosokawa, a very rich Japanese entrepreneur whom the country wishes would invest there. This novel is a curious blend of a romantic love story revolving around opera, and a terrorist kidnapping.
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