The Seven Sisters

Maia is jealous of the woman she mistakes to be Floriano’s wife. When Floriano meets Maia at her hotel, he clears up the misunderstanding. The conversation leads to talk about relationships in general. Floriano insightfully detects fear and hurt in Maia. He tells her that hiding from the world won’t work.

Upon arriving at the hospice facility, Maia and Floriano pretend to be a husband and wife who are concerned about her grandmother. Yara is distressed to see them; Beatriz is dying, and Yara doesn’t want anything to upset her, as Beatriz doesn’t know that she is the product of a love affair between Laurent and Bel. Yara agrees to meet Maia the next day at Casa das OrquÍdeas.

Floriano invites Maia to dinner. It is his birthday, and his daughter is cooking for him to celebrate. Maia turns down the invitation but then decides that she should not hide from her emotions by avoiding dinner at Floriano’s. She buys wine and chocolate and walks to his apartment, where Valentina burns the dinner. Maia is charmed by the precocious six-year-old and by the obviously close relationship that she shares with her father.

The next day, Maia meets Yara at Casa das OrquÍdeas. Yara is worried that talk of Beatriz’s daughter (Maia’s mother) will upset the elderly woman. She is also worried that Beatriz may discover the secrets that her parents kept from her about her true parentage. Maia promises not to go to Beatriz with the information but begs Yara to tell her everything she knows about Bel’s story.

Bel’s father picks her up at the ship dock in a brand-new Rolls Royce. Her father is boisterous, excitedly welcoming his daughter home and telling her about his financial success, the developing plans for her January wedding, and the refurbishing of Casa das OrquÍdeas. Bel tells him that a sculpture was made of her in Paris.

Bel is distressed to find that her mother has taken ill with breast cancer; a tumor was surgically removed while Bel was in Europe. She looks overly thin and gaunt and lacks energy. Bel is upset that her parents didn’t mention her mother’s illness in their letters. Her father reassures her that her mother is on the mend. Bel throws herself headlong into nursing her mother, who expresses a desire to spend a few weeks at the family’s country house. Bel agrees that this would be good for her recovery. Her father frowns at the idea of Bel leaving town again so soon, worried about what Gustavo and the Aires Cabrals will think. Bel insists, not only for her mother’s sake but also because it will allow her to delay the wedding and keep her distance from Gustavo.

Gustavo is eager to see Bel and talk about the wedding, and Luiza, Gustavo’s mother, is impatient with Bel and any delay to the wedding. Ultimately, Gustavo stands up for Bel on the question of her going to the countryside with her mother, so Bel and her mother travel to their country house. Bel finds her childhood home to be a welcome refuge. Still, she thinks unceasingly of Laurent.

In November of 1928, Laurent, still in Paris, runs into the young boy whom Bel saved from the street when he is leaving Paul’s studio one evening. The boy is looking at the stars. Laurent points out the Seven Sisters constellation.

It has been eight weeks since Bel left France, and Laurent still feels her absence acutely. He goes out to a bar to drink alone and reflects on how he truly loves Bel. He considers writing her a letter but knows that there is too big a risk that Gustavo or her parents would find it. Laurent goes on a drinking bender, losing track of time and not returning to work at Paul’s studio for five days.

While Laurent was out drinking, Paul decided which template to use for the Cristo’s hands, deciding between the casts of Bel’s and Margarida’s hands. The casts were not labeled, so Paul doesn’t know which woman’s hands he chose. Laurent is pleased to discover that the sculptor selected Bel’s hands. He can tell because Margarida’s cast had a hairline crack where one of the fingers broke off.

The time in the country is good for Bel’s mother’s health. The quiet routine and fresh air also soothe Bel’s broken heart. However, after three weeks, Bel’s father demands that she return to the city to help plan her wedding and spend time with Gustavo.

Back in Rio, Bel spends many hours with Louiza discussing wedding details. She quickly learns to acquiesce to her stubborn soon-to-be mother-in-law to avoid unnecessary conflict. In her free time, Bel and Loen ride the train up Corcovado Mountain to observe the progress of the construction of Christ the Redeemer.

It is December 1928 in Paris. Paul has completed the head and hands for the Christ the Redeemer statue and is preparing to ship them to Brazil. He wants to travel with the sculptures to make sure that they arrive safely but has too many responsibilities in Paris. Laurent volunteers to travel to Rio on the ship with the sculptures. Heitor agrees to the plan, booking passage for Laurent and the ship and compensating him for his time.

Gustavo contacts Heitor and requests to purchase Laurent’s statue of Bel. Laurent agrees after some encouragement from Paul and sells the sculpture for a hefty price. He will take it with him on the ship to Rio.

In January 1929, Bel and Gustavo are wed. The wedding is a beautiful spectacle, held in a grand cathedral. Bel wears a beautiful gown from Paris. After the wedding breakfast, Bel and Gustavo retreat to their room at the Copacabana Palace Hotel. The moment when Gustavo and Bel are alone in their hotel room, he kisses her roughly and gropes her through her dress. Then, he reaches for some brandy. Bel observes that he likes to drink a lot.

Bel is unnerved at the idea of physical intimacy with Gustavo because he still feels like a stranger to her. The night before Bel’s wedding, her mother spoke to her about what to expect on her wedding night. She warned Bel that sex might be uncomfortable or painful. She told Bel that she might bleed a little or that she might not because she spent her childhood riding horses. Her mother assured her that she would come to enjoy sex and that she should because sex between a husband and wife is a holy act.

Bel struggles to enjoy the evening wedding feast because she is nervous about having sex with Gustavo. Gustavo is not patient or gentle with Bel when the time comes. He tears her elaborate dress, too impatient to undo all the buttons. The sex is short and painful for Bel. Gustavo is distressed when there is no blood on the sheets; he accuses Bel of not being a “virgin.” She is embarrassed and offended. He sees that her reaction is sincere and trusts her when she tells him honestly that she had never had sex before. As Gustavo falls asleep, he tells Bel that he loves her and that this is the happiest night of his life. That same night, Laurent’s ship arrives in Rio.

On his first morning in Rio de Janeiro, Laurent is amazed by the heat and by the beautiful beach view from his hotel. He meets Heitor Levy, the construction manager who works for Heitor de Silva Costa. They inspect the head and hands sculptures in an empty field where they have been unloaded from the ship. They take a photo together (this is the photo that Floriano later finds and shows to Maia).

Heitor Levy helps arrange an apartment for Laurent to stay in while he’s in Rio. Laurent is sick to hear that Bel was just married yesterday. Heitor Levy tells him that the couple are now on their honeymoon.

Gustavo and Bel spend a week honeymooning in the countryside. They stay with some of Gustavo’s relatives. Bel is surprised to find that Gustavo wants to have sex daily. She tries to enjoy the experience but isn’t able to because Gustavo continues to be rough and urgent with her. She tries to talk to her mother about how her sex life with Gustavo makes her feel frightened, hurt, and tired, but her mother waves off Bel’s concerns, telling her that it is a good sign that her husband wants to have sex often.

Bel’s parents give her the deed to the family’s country house as a wedding gift. They do so by creating a trust so that the property will remain in Bel’s name, rather than automatically becoming Gustavo’s property because she is his wife. Bel appreciates the gift deeply; it makes her feel like she as a small bit of independence to fall back on if needed. She takes her mother up Corcovado Mountain to see the construction site for Christ the Redeemer. Bel spots Laurent while they are there. They lock eyes for a long moment, and then Laurent smiles at her and continues on his way. Bel’s mother notices their exchange of looks. Bel dismisses it, telling her mother that she thinks she met Laurent in Paris and that he is likely Paul’s assistant.

The next night, Gustavo invites Bel’s parents for dinner because he wants to unveil his wedding present for Bel. He has purchased Laurent’s sculpture for her. He also surprises Bel by inviting Laurent to dinner, thinking that everyone will enjoy speaking with the sculptor. Louiza offers to introduce Laurent to potential sculpture clients in Rio. After dinner, Laurent tells Bel that he came to Rio to find her and asks if she is happy with Gustavo. She replies that she is not and that she is still in love with Laurent. He asks her to meet him at his apartment the following afternoon.

The next morning, Bel is shocked at herself for admitting to Laurent that she is unhappy in her marriage and for agreeing to meet him. She knows that she is risking a lot but can’t help wanting to spend time with Laurent. She recruits Loen’s support for her clandestine meeting with Laurent. They plan to use an appointment for a dress fitting as a cover—Bel will go to her dress fitting and then feign illness so that she can leave to visit Laurent.

Bel and Laurent have an emotional conversation, both acknowledging their love for each other and the difficulty of their situation. In the end, they decide not to fight their desires: They have sex for the first time. Bel enjoys the experience and is shocked at how different it feels from sex with Gustavo.

Bel agrees to join the women who are helping attach the small tiles to mesh for the outer clothing on the Christ the Redeemer statue.

Bel and Laurent secretly meet every few days to carry on their affair. Laurent supports himself by working on commissions for statues, made possible through Louiza’s patronage. Gustavo spends his days drinking at the club. He is drunk many evenings, which results in less sex between him and Bel. Bel is anxious that she will become pregnant with Laurent’s child. She and Laurent do what they can to avoid a pregnancy, avoiding intercourse when she is at her most fertile.

Bel visits her mother for the first time in weeks and realizes that her mother is sick again. Her mother asks Bel not to reveal her illness to her father, who is stressed about declines in coffee profits. Bel’s mother is convinced that her cancer is back, but she refuses the idea of treatment, which was unpleasant and hard on her body the first time around. She does not want to put herself and her family through that again. Bel begs her mother to see a doctor, and her mother agrees only to have Bel receive confirmation that she has a terminal illness.

After seeing her mother, Bel rushes to Laurent for comfort. Bel fears that her mother’s instinctual knowledge that she’s dying must be correct. Laurent has a new sculpture commission from a young woman, and Bel feels jealous, knowing that he is free to do what he wants while she feels so confined by her life and their secret. Laurent reassures her that he is not interested in any other women. He also reminds her that he is suffering in their arrangement and that it is her life choices and restrictions that keep them stuck as they are.

Bel and her mother see a doctor who confirms that her cancer has returned and spread to her other organs. Bel’s mother reasserts her desire that they not tell her father until it is absolutely necessary. Laurent is a great comfort to Bel as she manages her stress and grief.

Several weeks later, Bel’s father confronts her, having finally noticed his wife’s declining health and wanting to know the situation. Bel does not want to lie directly to her father, so she fills him in despite her mother’s wishes. He is grief-stricken to hear that his wife is dying.

Gustavo rudely confronts Bel, demanding to know why she has been so quiet and reserved of late. Bel tells him that her mother is dying and that her wish is to spend her final weeks at the house in the country with her daughter. Gustavo begrudgingly agrees that Bel can accompany her mother, asking that Bel return in time for the start of the social season. His remarks, particularly cruel and inconsiderate, shake Bel. He particularly mentions his and his mother’s disappointment that Bel is not yet pregnant. Bel knows that Gustavo likely does not remember all his evenings of drunken fumbling. He insists that they have sex that evening but is too drunk to notice that he ejaculates before entering her. The next morning, Bel informs Luiza about her mother’s condition and her plans to spend time with her mother in the country. Luiza’s responses are as cold and unfeeling as Gustavo’s, while Gustavo’s father is more empathetic.

Bell attends the regular meeting with the other women who are working on the tiles for the Christ the Redeemer statue. One of the women shows Bel that people have been inscribing the tiles with the names of their loved ones as a sort of permanent prayer. Bel writes the names of her parents on a tile but can’t bring herself to write the names of the Aires Cabrals into her prayer.

Bel visits Laurent once more before leaving for the country. She feels guilty about leaving him, knowing that she is the only reason he is in Rio. He consoles her and they make plans to write, using Loen as their intermediary.

Bel and her father drive her mother to the country house. Bel is gratified to see her father’s love for her mother evidenced in his care and concern for her. Her father stays with them for 10 days before needing to return to Rio to attend to business matters. Despite the situation, Bel is relieved to be away from Gustavo for a while.

Three weeks after Bel’s departure, Gustavo is drinking at his club per his usual habit. He misses Bel and resents the infantilizing way his mother treats both him and Bel. Gustavo regrets his unkind response to Bel’s mother’s condition and is aware that he has been drinking too much. Motivated by sincere affection for Bel, he resolves to take responsibility for the way their relationship has deteriorated and take control of the situation.

On her death bed, Bel’s mother admits that she has deduced that Bel and Laurent in love. She begs her daughter to “give Gustavo a chance” (346). She dies soon after Bel’s father returns to the country house. After her funeral, Bel and her father head back to the city. Bel realizes that she is pregnant, and she keeps the news a secret for now. She is confident that the baby is Laurent’s.

Gustavo is kind, comforting, and sober, acting on his decision to be a better partner to Bel. Gustavo apologizes to Bel for his previous behavior and for not standing up to his mother. He confides in Bel that Louiza had suggested that he have their marriage annulled because Bel had not yet become pregnant. Gustavo and his father agree that Gustavo will take over the family accounts and that the house will be transferred to Gustavo’s name. Gustavo plans for Bel to take over the running of the household, a responsibility that Louiza was thus far very territorial over.

While Bel was in the countryside, the world economy took a huge downturn—the start of the Great Depression. The Aires Cabral family are happy that they did not have much invested in stock, but Bel’s father is bankrupted overnight.

Bel’s father sinks into a deep depression and does not want to leave bed. His grief over the loss of his wife is compounded by the worsening financial situation. Bel visits him and begs him to shake his hopelessness. He agrees to try for her sake.

Bel lies to Gustavo, telling him that she has a dress-fitting appointment so that she has an excuse to visit Laurent. Laurent has been restless—no one is commissioning sculptures now that the economy has taken a turn. He tells Bel that it is time for him to go home and asks her to join him. He plans to leave within the week. Bel answers by telling him that she is pregnant with his baby. He is shocked but reaffirms his love for her and his invitation that they leave for France together. Bel is tempted but worries that her father wouldn’t survive if she disappeared. They plan to meet again in two days so that Bel can give Laurent her decision.

Meanwhile, Gustavo leaves the meeting he is attending with his father to surprise Bel at her dressmaker. His motivations are kind—he wants to be romantic and supportive. However, when he arrives at the dressmaker, Bel is not there. Puzzled, Gustavo returns home.

Bel thinks long and hard about her choices. She doesn’t feel guilty about Gustavo anymore, but she worries about her father. She also worries about the lifestyle that she and Laurent would have in Paris as poor artists. She doesn’t want to raise a child in those conditions, but her love for Laurent is a strong pull in that direction.

Gustavo finds Bel in the garden and tells her the financial news—the day before was Black Tuesday on the American stock market. Gustavo agrees to Bel’s request that he speak with her father about the situation to offer his support.

The next day, Bel’s father has dinner with the Aires Cabral family. Gustavo and his father offer some support and aid so that Bel’s father might find his financial footing again. Before dinner, Bel tells Gustavo that she is pregnant. This indicates her decision to stay with him rather than run away to Paris. Bel tells Gustavo that she had a doctor’s appointment to confirm her pregnancy. Gustavo expresses his relief, assuming that this doctor’s appointment was why Bel was not at the dressmaker when she said she would be.

Because of this near miss, Bel decides to write a note to Laurent rather than risk going to see him in person again. After completing her note to Laurent, she sees one of the soapstone tiles from her work on the Cristo and writes their names on it. She plans to send this with the note (this is the tile that Pa Salt will give Maia).

The next morning at breakfast, Louiza tells Gustavo that Bel has been having an affair with Laurent. She was informed by her driver, who often takes Bel to the dressmaker and noticed her walking away from the shop when she should have been inside. Gustavo defends his wife to Louiza and demands that she never speak of it again.

However, Gustavo can’t ignore the suspicions now that they have been planted in his head. He hides outside the entrance to Laurent’s apartment. Bel does not come—she decided to send a note with Loen instead. Gustavo catches Loen and forces her to hand over Bel’s note. Once he is gone, Loen continues to Laurent’s apartment and gives him the soapstone tile even though she no longer has the note to accompany it. The message is clear enough.

Gustavo goes to his club and gets drunk. In the end, he decides not to expose Bel or confront Laurent because Bel has clearly decided to stay with him. Much of his motivation stems from his desire to prove his mother wrong (even if she was right) by burying the whole affair and moving on.

In December 1929, Laurent arrives back in Paris. At Paul’s studio, he sees the young boy whom Bel rescued—the boy has been adopted by the Landowski family. The boy is playing the violin expertly. Laurent praises his skill and encourages him to continue pursuing music.