For more details, please consult the latest information provided by Royal Mail's International Incident Bulletin. Some of the characters' names are significant, particularly the women's names, which often indicate the personalities of the characters. However, Esteban's wild desire to possess Clara and to monopolize her love causes him to throw Férula out of the house.

He employs natives to work as peasants on the dilapidated land, eventually turning Tres Marías into a successful estate through his use of brute force. Through a combination of intimidation and reward, he enforces respect and labor from the fearful peasants and turns Tres Marías into a "model hacienda". Blanca, the eldest, inherits her mother's mystical abilities and falls in love with Pedro, a revolutionary.The novel introduces a number of parallel story lines, diverging most notably after the birth of Esteban and Clara’s three children – their daughter Blanca and twin sons Jaime and Nicolas. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged.

As a self-made man who earned all of his wealth from years of work spent improving Tres Marías, Esteban scorns communists and believes them to be lazy and stupid.Clara speaks to him, through signs, informing him that "those who have always won will win again" – this becomes his motto.