The story takes place in the eulogies delivered at the funeral of one Francis Sancher. Although he lived in the village of Guadeloupe for only a short while before his death, his presence made such an impact upon the community that they all are left trying to make sense of how much as changed in his absence. To begin with the people of Guadeloupe are relatively xenophobic. In such a closely-knit community, strangers often do not feel welcome, and the locals are fiercely resistant to change. Somehow Sancher manages to cross this barrier, endear himself to the people, and leave a legacy behind.
Everyone gathers around at his wake and swap stories all night long. In a long line they pass before the body and pay their respects. Each of them has a story to share about the deceased. Moase is the first one to have accepted Sancher. Nearly instantly the two became friends so that rumors spread about their relationship. In the end they were just good friends. Mira -- a young woman of European descent -- and Vilma -- the passionate native Indian woman -- are his ex-lovers. Sancher loved both and got both pregnant, but Mira ends up bearing his only child. In his absence, Vilma expresses the desire to die in his place because she misses him so much. Her parents, too, have been profoundly changed somehow by Sancher's influence. Even Mira's step-mother can't help but add some kind words in respect for the father of her grandchild.
As people share, they paint a rather sloppy picture of Sancher. Apparently he believed that he was subject to a curse, like all the men of his family, to die at the age of 50. It seems the curse has origins in Guadeloupe, where Sancher's ancestors are originally from. Sancher returns to the vilalge in the hopes of freeing himself from the curse, at great personal expense, but he soon relents. Life is so pleasant in Guadeloupe that he is suddenly content to die at any moment, even anticipates death. He refuses to become to close to any one person because he wants to spare them the intense pain of losing a loved one, but he can't keep himself from his romances. In the end, the curse claims another victim because he died inexplicably and suddenly one day, leaving everyone else to wonder.
