The novel is narrated by Arturo Bandini, a young Italian American living in a hotel in the Bunker Hill area of Los Angeles and struggling to make a living as a writer. He is five weeks late on his rent to his landlady, Mrs. Hargraves, who is threatening to evict him if he does not “pay up” (1). So far, he has published one short story, called “The Little Dog Laughed,” which brought him some money and critical acclaim. He is particularly proud of the fact that it was published by the distinguished New York editor, J. C. Hackmuth. While he has long since spent his earnings from the story, he clings to this published story as proof that he has the potential to become a great writer.

As he walks through the streets of Los Angeles to his hotel, Arturo reflects on his days since first arriving in the city from Colorado five months ago. He longs for a woman in his life and finds himself particularly attracted to the “Mexican girls” he sees around the city (15).He thinks of the letters that he writes his mother, a devout Catholic still living in Colorado, in which he assures her that he still attends mass and begs her for money to help him pay the rent.