On the afternoon when Angel Allegria arrives at the Poloverdos' farmhouse, he kills the farmer and his wife. But he spares their child, Paolo--a young boy who will claim this as the day on which he was born. Together the killer and the boy begin a new life on this remote and rugged stretch of land in Chile.Then Luis Secunda, a well-to-do and educated fellow from the city descends upon them. Paolo is caught in the paternal rivalry between the two men. But life resumes its course . . . until circumstances force the three to leave the farm. In doing so, Angel and Luis confront their pasts as well as their inevitable destinies--destinies that profoundly shape Paolo's own future.From the Hardcover edition.