Daniel looks through a box of his treasured possessions and important documents. He thinks Ana is probably married and wonders what they would talk about if he returned. Perhaps they would discuss how he left his job at National Geographic and reluctantly joined his father’s company. They might also discuss how he and his father “struggled to raise a teen girl in an era of upheaval and free love” (412), after his mother’s death.

For years, Daniel blamed Franco for the loss of Ana until Ben told him to let it go. To do “the work” of living, which means “[l]etting it hurt. Scraping the rust off [his] heart [and] creating memories that will make [him] laugh” (413). This helped Daniel let go of his anger, an anger that did nothing except make him feel polluted.

Daniel attends his father’s new wife’s birthday party. Daniel’s stepmother, Sissy, “a lifelong Dallas socialite,” is “thoughtful, patient, and very kind” but “nothing like his mother” (416).

Daniel joins his sister at the party, and she is delighted to see him. Cristina reminds Daniel of his promise to take her to Madrid on her 18th birthday. His father’s butler tells Daniel that he had a phone call early that morning from Nick telling him that Franco was dead. 

Daniel and Cristina travel to Spain. Only his mother and Ben ever realized that he was still in love with Ana. Daniel thinks of Ben’s prediction, all those years ago, that he would return to Spain to marry Ana, and of Ben’s constant reminder that he believed that one day Daniel and Ana could be together. Daniel wishes it were true, but he knows that a lot has changed.

Nick meets Daniel and Cristina at the airport. Nick’s parents finally divorced, and despite a new scandal, Shep’s career is still flourishing; nothing ever came of the letters Daniel wrote 18 years ago. Nick points out that despite their best intentions, both he and Daniel “ended up in the same professions as [their] fathers” (425). 

Daniel and Cristina are staying at the same hotel that Daniel stayed in with his parents all those years ago. Nick tells him Ana is single and arranges for him to meet with her. Cristina is incredibly excited and cannot wait for her adventures in Madrid to begin. Daniel, on the other hand, feels “the old unholy ghost of Spain. Fear” (428).

Daniel stays in the same room he stayed in 18 years ago, and everywhere he looks reminds him of Ana. Daniel feels excited yet anxious; the thought of seeing Ana makes him more nervous than even his most dangerous photo assignments.

Cristina tells Daniel that even though she cannot remember being in Spain, she does feel some emotional connection to Madrid. She is unsure whether it’s a true connection, or if she’s just “creating emotions to fill the gap of Mom” (429). Her insights and maturity awe Daniel, and he realizes that his sister often seems to be “observing and commenting on her life from above, rather than living inside it as an 18-year-old girl” (429). 

Daniel is so nervous before meeting Ana that he arrives at the museum an hour early, When Ana arrives, however, all his fears evaporate: “They stand, suspended within the 18 years between them. Ana’s face flares with an enormous smile” (431). She runs across the room and into Daniel’s arms.

Ana and Daniel go to a popular park, El Retiro. On the Metro, Ana tells Daniel that she read every issue of National Geographic, looking for his photos. She learned about him through those photos. They are delighted at the way they fit back together. They share how nervous they were before the meeting, and how happy and excited they are now.

At the park, Daniel and Ana tell each other all that’s happened. Ana got a job with Paco Lobo, the benefactor Daniel met in the elevator so long ago; Paco Lobo put her through business school. Rafa married the sister of a bullfighter and helped to build a new church in Vallecas.

Ana apologizes for pushing Daniel away, for insisting he could not understand her, but Daniel doesn’t care. He’s just glad they are finally together. Ana, however, tells him there is still something he doesn’t know.

Ana is very nervous, afraid that what she is about to reveal will change Daniel’s feelings for her. She reminds him of Fuga’s assertion “children of Spanish Republicans were being stolen from maternity clinics around Spain” and “sold to fascist families” (439). Prior to Daniel’s arrival in Madrid 18 years ago, Julia had been pregnant with twins; the clinic told her that one of the twins had died. Julia and Antonio suspected the truth but could not do anything. Ana then shows Daniel a picture of Lali, who is Cristina’s twin.