The Seven Sisters

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, illness, mental illness, sexual violence, gender discrimination, substance use, and sexual content.

Maia stays up late to read all of Bel’s letters. Having read the letters, she realizes that the illegible second name on the soapstone Cristo tile is Laurent Brouilly.

Floriano and Maia take a walk to the Copacabana Palace Hotel. Maia tells Floriano about the letters, swearing him to secrecy so as not to betray Yara’s trust. Having done more research at the library, Floriano shows Maia some photographs of Laurent’s other sculptures and tells her that Laurent fought in the French Resistance during World War II. He also has a photograph of Bel and Gustavo on their wedding day. In the photo, Bel is wearing the moonstone necklace that Maia now wears around her own neck. Finally, Floriano shows Maia a photo taken in 1929 when the Cristo’s head and hands arrived on a ship from France. There are two men in the photo; one is Laurent. Maia is excited and surprised to see a photo of Laurent in Rio and wonders if this is a clue that Bel and Laurent may have continued their romance.