The path opened by Úrsula, Macondo’s new leader, triggers an irreversible change, further fueled by the town’s first business—her candy animal industry. But before Macondo fully succumbs to the seduction of capital and its "machines of well-being," visitors from other times bring the plague of insomnia to the town. Nadia Celis and her guests, Chrissy Arce and David George, explore the collective amnesia of the Macondians, the town’s incorporation into the nation, as well as the political struggles that will lead the first generation of Macondo’s men to war. They also address the intimate drama of the Buendía sisters, Amaranta and Rebeca, and of Aureliano, whose battles with desire and love pave the way for the rise of the brutal Colonel Aureliano Buendía.