The Stories of Eva Luna

María is an old woman who has worked as a sex worker for much of her life. The story opens with a description of her death. María does not suffer or take long to die. She dies “with dignity” by announcing that she’s ready to die, putting on her best dress, drinking a glass of chocolate, and lying down in bed. The narrator, Eva Luna, hears María’s life story at the funeral.

At 12 years old, María is hit by a train. Her body heals well, but she has a lifelong intellectual disability after the accident. At 19, she is married to a doctor near retirement age who owes her parents money.

María has a baby boy. Her husband has a stroke and dies while their son is still an infant. For two years, María lives a quiet life, cared for by servants and family members who visit her. Gradually, she forgets why she is in mourning and becomes restless. She begins to flirt with men at church. María’s father and brothers, not approving of this behavior, send her to live with family in Spain.

On the ship to Spain, María’s son—now a toddler—is killed when a heavy trunk falls shut on his neck while he is playing. A few nights after her son’s death, María leaves her cabin for the first time. While she is on deck, a sailor notices her and beckons her to join him. They have sex, and María appreciates the difference between her timid, elderly husband and the younger, more energetic man.

In the Caribbean, the lovers disembark from the ship. Away from anything familiar, left to her own devices, and in a purely physical relationship with the sailor—the two can hardly speak to each other as he is Greek—María imagines that she is in paradise. However, the sailor grows tired of María and leaves. After a time, María sets out to find a new sexual partner. She approaches the first man she sees and propositions him “in the most genteel and educated way” (130). The man is surprised because she doesn’t look like a sex worker. He agrees to sex and is amazed by the sincere passion that María shows. He tells everyone he knows about the sex worker who offers “the illusion of love” (130).

María ages but never loses her sincere appreciation for each partner, and her reputation spreads further. As her memory fails, María is surprised each time a man comes from afar to spend a night with her. María imagines that each man might be her sailor returning to her. She decides to die when she gets tired of waiting for that impossible dream to come true.

“Our Secret” recounts a brief encounter between two unnamed strangers. They meet on the street, drawn to each other by the likelihood of similar pasts. They spend an enjoyable day together walking through the city and stopping in bookstores.

That night, they go to the house that the woman shares with some other women. They undress, and at first, their caresses are passionate, intimate, and enjoyable. Before they have sex, however, the man becomes withdrawn, distracted by memories. The man does not want to be alone, so he stays in her bed. She traces his scars with her fingers, and his thoughts drift away again.

The man becomes confused about what is the past and what is the present. He confuses the woman with someone named Ana Díaz, whom he saw tortured. The man was involved in the revolution against the oppressive government and is haunted by the memories. The woman holds him and speaks to him about the power of fear. She shows him her scarred wrists, and he sees that she has been tortured, too. A moment of understanding passes between them.

The Little Heidelberg is a tavern with a dance floor and decorations inspired by the Alps. A live band plays music there every night, and people come to dance. There is a group of regulars in their 70s and older who often dance there. It is said that the stew served at the tavern is an aphrodisiac.

Every Saturday, a woman in her 50s called “La Mexicana” comes to dance. She dresses like a flamenco dancer with a flower behind her ear. Another regular is “El Capitán,” an old Scandinavian sailor whom no one has ever heard speak. La Mexicana and El Capitán always dance at least four dances together.

“Niña Eloisa” is the oldest regular at the tavern and has never missed a Saturday in 50 years. She, an immigrant from Russia, smells like candy because she sells chocolate that she makes in her home kitchen. Niña Eloisa is shown great respect because she’s the oldest patron of the tavern. The men ask her to dance and are always impressed by her grace and delicacy. El Capitán dances with her often; they never speak but smile and dance beautifully to old-fashioned dances.

One night, a couple of Scandinavian tourists enter the bar, and El Capitán speaks to them. The bar falls silent because all the regulars are so shocked. One of the tourists summons the bar owner, asking him to help translate for El Capitán. The group approaches Niña Eloisa’s table where El Capitán, through his translators, proposes marriage to her. El Capitán tells her that he’s been waiting 40 years to ask, needing someone to help translate.

Everyone in the bar celebrates while El Capitán and Eloisa dance. As they dance, El Capitán feels time “flowing backward,” with the pair of them becoming younger and younger until Eloisa disappears entirely. The band keeps playing, worrying that stopping the music will break whatever spell El Capitán is under. La Mexicana steps forward to dance with him.

When Nicolás Vidal was born, it was prophesied that a woman would cost him his life. This leads him to avoid relationships with women out of caution. When a young woman named Casilda comes to town to marry Judge Hidalgo, Vidal hardly pays her any mind. However, he does notice the surprising influence that the seemingly passive woman has over the notoriously harsh judge.

Vidal is the leader of a gang of outlaws with a violent reputation. Some towns and large estates pay him so that his gang will stay away. Despite having plenty of money, he maintains an active life of crime.

In a desperate attempt to stop Vidal's crime wave, the Judge imprisons Vidal's only family, his mother. The Judge puts her in a cage in the center of town with only a pitcher of water to drink. He expects that Vidal will come to save her, but Vidal is not a sentimental person and has few positive memories of his mother. He refuses to back down when challenged by another man, so he plans to leave his mother to her fate, assuming that the Judge will call off his scheme before she dies. After several days of suffering, the town leaders approach Casilda and ask her to intervene on the woman’s behalf.

Casilda, along with her children, gathers food and water to take to the imprisoned woman. The guards stop her from approaching, and the children start to cry. The sound of his children crying breaks the Judge’s resolve. He unlocks the cage and gives the food and water to Vidal's mother. The next day, Vidal's mother dies by suicide, deeply ashamed at being abandoned by her son so publicly. This enrages Vidal.

The Judge flees town with his family in their car. While he is driving, he has a heart attack and dies, crashing the car. Casilda is worried about Vidal's gang finding her and her children helpless on the road. She pulls the kids out of the car and hides them in a cave. She tells them to stay hidden until the police come searching, no matter what they hear. Then, she returns to the car to wait for Vidal and his gang.

Vidal comes looking for the Judge alone. Casilda meets his eyes unwaveringly, and he is impressed by and attracted to her bravery—no one ever stands up to him. The two have sex, Casilda doing her best to buy as much time for her children and the police as possible. Vidal has never shared such intimacy with anyone and he enjoys it, even though he knows he is risking his life. At some point, Casilda begins to enjoy and appreciate Vidal, too. When she hears the police coming, she tells him to run. Instead, he decides to stay.