A novel about love, time, and an unusual triangular love affair. For 53 years, Florentino Ariza waits patiently for Fermina Daza, the woman who once loved him. While he waits, he becomes astonishingly successful with other women (he has 622 liaisons). She marries another man and lives a life of intense respectability. Finally, she is widowed, and their lives begin again.