It is a fine December morning. The steamship Tabo is sailing on the Pasig River to Laguna. 

Passengers on the upper deck talk about the lake and the long journey. Some

important characters in the novel are introduced: Simoun the jeweler; Doña Victorina; the friars Salvi, Irene, Camorra, and Sibyla,Don Custodio, and Ben Zayb.