Balthazar, a 30-year old carpenter, finishes building a bird cage after two long weeks. He hangs it under the eave of his shop and a crowd gathers there. All agree that it's "the most beautiful cage in the world" (106).

When Balthazar returns home from the shop, his wife, Ursula, tells him he looks "like a Capuchin" (106) and needs to shave. Balthazar tells Ursula it's "bad to shave after lunch" (106), so Ursula tells him to lie down and rest. While Balthazar tries to rest, he gets up from his hammock several times to show the cage to his neighbors. When Balthazar wakes from his nap, Ursula has ironed his clothes and put the cage on the dining table. Ursula asks Balthazar how much he will charge for the cage. Balthazar says he will ask for thirty pesos and hope to get twenty pesos. Ursula says he should ask for fifty, which is "nothing for Mr. Chepe Montiel" (107). In fact, Ursula says, Balthazar should ask for sixty pesos.

Later, Dr. Octavio Giraldo, an elderly local physician, comes by Balthazar and Ursula's to see about the cage. Dr. Giraldo's ailing wife loves birds, so he hopes to buy the cage for her as a gift.