Color code: Chapter 1: Grey Chapter 2: Red Chapter 3: Dark Blue Chapter 4: Dark Green Chapter 5: Light Blue Chapter 6: Orange Chapter 7: Purple Chapter 8: Lime Green Chapter 9: Pink Chapter 10: Brown Chapter 11: Yellow Chapter 12: Black
The father of the Mirabals dies, causes unclear
*This date is estimated
Minerva, Mate, and Patria go up to Puerto Plato to see the men, they are told to avoid the pass by a clerk at the store, but don't follow his advice. They pick up a soldier on their way there, and while on the way they see Pen's car parked at Trujillo's mansion. They make it to the prison safely, but the husbands ask them to please stay at their friends house overnight. They decide not to, and begin to drive home. They are stopped by a car, and are taken and killed. They are then placed back in the car and pushed over the edge of a bridge, so it would like an accident.
Minerva meets Sinita, a "charity" student and they become friends
Minerva starts school at Immaculada Concepcion
~September
Minerva learns from Sinita that Trujillo killed all the men in her family
Minerva's friend Lina is chosen by Trujillo to be his 'girlfriend' and she ends up pregnant and shipped out of the country
Minerva performs her independence skit for Trujillo, which turns out to be a assassination attempt against Trujillo by Sinita
Minerva graduates from Immaculada Concepcion
Minerva goes into her father's closet and discovers letters addressed to her from Lio asking her to join him in Columbia.
That same day, Minerva confronts her father about the affair and his hiding the letters. She tells him he has lost her respect, and explains he was only trying to protect himself.
Minerva is driving around the side roads around their property, and she sees her father's car parked at one of the houses. Every time she goes by that house, a bunch of little girls come out and run after her and she sees their eyes and knows they are her father's.
Minerva's father is invited to a private party thrown by Trujillo and in the invitation it is specifically stated he wants Minerva to attend. Despite Mama's wishes, Minerva, Pedrito, Patria, and Papa attend. Minerva dances with Trujillo, and reveals to him that she knows Lio and wants to be a lawyer. He is sexually aggressive with her, and she slaps him. It begins to rain, and Minerva and her family leave without permission. In the car ride home, Minerva realizes she left her purse with the letters from Lio at the party.
Two days after leaving the Discovery Dance without permission, Papa is taken in for questioning even after he sent a telegram of apology to El Jefe
Minerva is brought in for questioning, where she reveals she knew Lio personally but has not maintained contact with him. Trujillo tells her he will release her father for a "private meeting" with her to which she refuses
Minerva's father is released, but he is a broken man now and his mind is not all there
Minerva marries Manolo
Minerva receives her law degree, but Trujillo withholds her license to practice
When they are released, Minerva and Mate are put under house arrest. Minerva has self-doubts- she is not the same as she was before prison. Pena is their authority, they must go to him if they want to leave the house ever. He suggests they write a letter to Trujillo, which they do. They get news that the OAS has imposed sanctions and there is hope again in the revolution. Unknown men try to re-spark the revolution, but are sloppy and get caught. Minerva visits one of the last known revolutionaries and discovers the US didn't want to get involved for fear of helping a communist government. Manolo and Leandro are moved to a different prison in the mountains.
Dede starts school at Immaculada Concepcion
Dede and Minerva meet a young scholar named Lio, and are both immediately taken with him, but Minerva and him really hit it off. Minerva and Lio and Dede and Jaimito begin going on double dates and hanging out all the time. Mama learns of Lio's affiliation with the university and the protests of the government and tries to ban the girls from seeing him, but they all meet in secret. The same night Lio goes into hiding, Jaimito asks Dede to marry him. Dede denies the feelings she has for Lio and accepts. Lio later gives her a letter for Minerva asking her to go into hiding with him, but Dede burns it.
Later on in 1994, Dede notes Minerva's getting involved with Lio as the start of all the "problems" becase "Lio presented a very real opportunity to fight against the regime" (pg 66).
Minerva, Mate, and Patria want Dede to join them, but Jaimito is completely against it. She resolves to leave him, but fears losing her sons. They go on another honeymoon, and are reconciled.
Dede is visited by an interviewer, which launches her into a series of flashbacks
Patria starts school at Immaculada Concepcion
~September
Patria marries Pedrito three days before her 17th birthday
Patria has her first child, Nelson
*No specific date given, November is an estimation
Patria has her second child, Noris
*No specific date given, January is an estimation
While on a religious retreat, the Church that her and the people she is with are in gets attacked by guerillas. Patria sees a young boy get shot and decides then and there she's not going to "watch her babies die". This was a turning point for Patria, it was what really motivated her to join the revolution.
Patria had been letting Minerva have her underground meetings on her property, but always outside the house. Patria lets them come inside, and this is symbolic for her joining the resistance with Pedrito.
*This date is estimated
Nelson and Pedrito are arrested, and Patria's home is torn apart
After weeks of petitioning Nelson is released, another 'debt' the Mirabals owe Trujillo
Maria Teresa recieves a diary for her First Communion from Patria
Minerva learns that Minerva has been sneaking out of school and lies to the principal to cover for her
Minerva tells Mate about how her, Elsa, Lourdes, and Sinita have been going to secret meetings at Don Horacio's house and about how Trujillo is bad
Mate and Mama meet Minerva's new boyfriend, who is also studying law, and both really like him
Maria Teresa graduates from Immaculada Concepcion
Mate moves to the capital and stays with Minerva while they attend university
Mate moves in with Minerva and Manolo, noting tension and talk in "treasure hunt clues" between the two
After Mate meets a man who was bringing a delivery that was a part of the movement, Minerva and Manolo explain the entire underground to her, and she instantly wants to join
Mate falls in love with a man who is involved in the movement- making her permanently involved in the movement
Mate received her journal March 16, and talks about her fears. While they're in jail Minerva insists they go to "school" like Castro did while he was incarcerated. Minerva is put in solitary often for not complying with the rules. They are offered a pardon, but Minerva refuses to let them accept it because they have nothing to be pardoned for, and she won't go until everyone gets to go. Mate realizes that she is pregnant, and decides to abort it. She is taken to La 40, the torture chamber, and is tortured there in front of Leandro to get him to talk, which he does. Because of this, she has a miscarriage. Minerva and Mate have a trial, and get 5 years. They hear that the OAS will be coming to investigate human rights abuses in Trujillo's prisons, and Minerva wants Mate to tell them what happened in La 40 but Mate doesn't want to. When she meets with them she drops a note about the injustices but nothing about her own personal story. They hear all political women will be released, and they describe it as bittersweet.