Chapter 15, A Sad and Tortured Life. Count Cezar Emil Ozera, after welcoming the women, sends Barabal and Malvina on a mission to Seattle to satisfy an urgent need. This trip changes the two women's relationship to each other and their view of their grand adventure, at least for the time being, and spills over into a special event the Count has arranged for them. Swept up by the mood and the Count's magnetic smile, Barabal's imagination takes hold of her.