An unnamed man wakes up “in a tawdry room” (3), not quite knowing where he is, not quite knowing what time it is. He looks at his watch, and “when he saw the time he was only confused” (3). As he comes around, he remembers that it is late in the afternoon, and he had probably been sleeping since lunch. He hears his wife in the next room and notices the stifling airlessness of his room. Nevertheless, he decides to stay in bed until the evening breaks.

The next day, three Americans sit in a café somewhere in North Africa, discussing their travel plans. The man who appears in Chapter 1, Port, thinks himself a traveler rather than a mere tourist; thus, his ideas of where they should go are informed by the idea that “civilization” is rather far away (6). His wife, Kit, and their traveling companion, Tunner, discuss the war and its aftermath: World War II has wrought changes throughout the region by homogenizing the area and stripping it of culture. This is why, Port reasons, they should go deeper into the Sahara, where the colorful adventure they seek will still be intact.

Port proffers to tell the others his dream of the night before.