Meeting at Mexico City

Jean-Baptiste Clamence, a former Parisian lawyer now calling himself a judge-penitent, approaches a stranger in the Amsterdam bar Mexico City. He offers to help the man order gin from the silent Dutch bartender, whom he compares to a Cro-Magnon man. Clamence introduces himself and begins a long, confessional monologue, revealing his double profession and his fascination with the city's concentric canals, which he likens to the circles of hell. This encounter sets the stage for the entire narrative, as Clamence will recount his life story over several days.