Haller goes to the ball, and people crowd around him, greeting him and offering him drinks and dances. He leaves his coat at the coat check, taking note of the ticket to retrieve it. Haller finds Pablo playing in one of the bands, and the lower floor is decorated to resemble hell. Haller fails to find Hermine or Maria, and he sits for a drink. The noise starts to upset Haller, so he decides to leave. He misplaces his ticket, though, and a man gives him a new one labelled Magic Theater. The ticket says Hermine is in “hell,” and Haller reenters the party. Maria stops him, and they dance. Haller leaves her to find Hermine, but he cannot find her in the hell room. Haller recognizes the man next to him as his childhood friend Herman, but the person reveals themselves as Hermine. Haller falls in love with her at that moment, but they cannot dance together as two men. Haller dances with other women, and the crowd grows more excited. Time passes, and the band starts to tire. Haller sees a woman in the crowd and grabs her to dance. The woman is Hermine, and they dance passionately through the morning until the band finally retires.