The narrator describes the three-hundred-year-old Dubois family house in the Guyenne Valley where she is temporarily staying. The roof, made of hand-chiseled slate tiles, leaks in two upstairs rooms, and there is an ongoing dispute between Lucien Dubois, who inherited the house from his father, and his aunt Agathe over whether to invest in restoration or sell the property.

Lucien explains vaguely that his family acquired the house "in the beginning," suggesting deep ancestral roots. Agathe, from Lucien's mother's side and not a Dubois herself, lives nearby and has been caretaking the property. The narrator overheard their arguments while Lucien arranged her stay.

The narrator is indifferent to the dispute, viewing the house purely as a strategic base. She details its operational advantages: proximity to Le Moulin, a long private driveway that announces any approaching car, and a hilltop position offering full visibility of the valley. She has chosen a non-leaking room and uses high-powered, US-military-grade night-vision binoculars to surveil the area.