The novel portrays a love triangle, as the two Peruvians protagonists--Melisa, a young artist, and Miguel, a middle-aged writer--jaunt about Europe in search of themselves and their roots, finding the joy of love and the anxiety of its dissolution. But more than a love story, Bravo has created a robust allegory reflecting the relationship between adolescent Latin America and aging Europe. They visit England, France, Italy and Greece, but the principal setting is Spain, and much of the narrative features an imposing old boarding hotel, La Residencia, on Chopos Hill in Madrid. There, the past and present are interlaced, as the colorful and eccentric personalities of the residents pass before the eyes of the travelers, contrasting the various temperaments of traditional and contemporary Spain. Miguel observes the deterioration of La Residencia, reflecting his image of Spain, and at the same time, perhaps, his own decline. The tone is reflective, sometimes humorous and ironic, with moments of hyperbolic delirium as Miguel travels back in imagination to a fabled epoch when such great artists as Lorca, Buñuel, Picasso and Dalí were residents, adding their artistry and magic to the narrative.