The Seven Sisters

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and illness.

Yara finishes telling Bel’s story to Maia, explaining that Beatriz is Bel’s daughter: She is Laurent’s daughter by blood but was raised by Gustavo without knowledge of her true parentage. Gustavo never told Bel that he knew about her affair. Bel died of yellow fever when she was 21 and Beatriz was two, just as the Christ the Redeemer statue was completed. She caught the fever because she went to see the inauguration of the statue. Luiza died shortly after.

When Beatriz turned 18, she traveled to Paris to study at École National Supérieure des Beaux-Arts. She was in Paris for five years. During that time, she met Laurent and studied art with him. After returning to Brazil, Beatriz married a pianist. They had one daughter, Cristina (Maia’s mother). Yara does not want to tell Maia any more details about Cristina, feeling that it is not her story to tell. Instead, she gives Maia more letters, the ones that Laurent sent to Bel while she was staying at the country house with her mother.

Later that evening, Maia goes to Floriano’s for dinner.