44 pages • 1 hour read •
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Teodoro Golfín, a renowned eye surgeon, has just arrived at the fictional town of Villamojada in Northern Spain in search of the mines of Socrates. At the request of the wealthy Francisco Penáguilas, Teodoro has come to attempt to cure his son, Pablo, of his blindness. On his way to the mines, Teodoro gets lost. He is aided by the arrival of Pablo, who offers to lead Teodoro to the mines where the doctor can find his engineer brother, Cárlos and his wife, Sofía. Along the way, Teodoro meets Nela, a young girl who serves as Pablo’s companion as she is too weak for any other labor in the mines.
When Pablo learns from his father that Teodoro may cure him of his blindness, he becomes obsessed with the idea of beauty. Pablo asks if Nela is beautiful, believing that she might be because of her goodness of spirit. Nela is fearful that once Pablo sees her at long last, he will find her ugly and discard her. He reassures her otherwise.
Meanwhile, Teodoro learns about Nela’s family history, including the suicide of the young girl’s mother when she jumped into La Trascava. Teodoro expresses sympathy for Nela’s family whereas the people around him, including Sofía, can only muster judgment.
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