Hannelore Wolfe, who has never spoken but excels at listening and counting time to manage frustration, travels by train from Washington, DC, to West Virginia with her parents, Cultural Attaché Friedrich Wolfe and Sabine Wolfe, and their dog Citizen. The embassy has recently burned documents, journalists have swarmed them, and Sabine fears possible violence upon arrival. Friedrich tries to keep the mood light, but uniformed officers and crowds meet the train, deepening the family’s unease.

When guards confront a knot of passengers, Friedrich intervenes, identifying them as Hungarian speakers; Sabine diplomatically clarifies they are husbands of the Hungarian legation’s maids worried about separation. The family learns men will walk to the hotel while cars take women and children; at Sabine’s insistence, Friedrich stays with them, framing the walk as good for Citizen. The Wolfes present their polished public personas as they proceed toward the Avallon Hotel & Spa.

They are joined by Friedrich’s friends Dr. Otto Kirsch and Lothar Liebe, who discuss uncertain “repatriation” prospects and burned codebooks, underscoring the precariousness of their situation. To distract Hannelore, Friedrich prompts their private memory-song game built on strings of letters and numbers, which she sings flawlessly, highlighting her silent acuity. A moment of awkwardness follows when Dr. Kirsch jokingly misnames the dog “Comrade,” corrected to “Citizen,” briefly embarrassing Hannelore.

Drawn aside by Citizen, Hannelore discovers an anomalous summer-green moss patch in winter. The moss is warm and wet with mineral-scented water that fills her with sudden happiness; she studies the moisture on her palm and thinks it feels like magic. This sensory moment suggests the Avallon’s sweetwater presence and soothes her earlier dread.

Avallon staff approach with practiced hospitality: they help her up, offer drinks in English and German, give Citizen a biscuit, and present Hannelore a ribboned paper sack containing a Golden Delicious apple in a paper lace sleeve, a small glass snail, a pencil, and a hotel scavenger hunt. Live music and the sound and scent of a bonfire shift the atmosphere from the harsh train journey toward warmth and welcome; Hannelore hears Sabine’s tactful laugh as the mood lifts.

Looking up the drive at the many-roofed hotel, Hannelore notices a slim, intense woman with three dachshunds watching her directly. The woman’s deliberate dress and wild, uncivilized expression captivate Hannelore, who associates her with the moss and the mutable nature of water. Someone calls “Hoss,” and the woman turns away, leaving a strong impression. A staff member then takes Hannelore’s hand to lead her to see the Avallon.