The story is told from the perspective of a native of the town returning 27 years after the murder, and attempting to recreate what happened on that fateful day. The basis of the plot is that a newly married young woman, Angela Vicario, was found on her wedding night to not be a virgin. After getting beaten by her mother, she names her violator, Santiago Nasar. In order to repair the family´s reputation, the twin brothers Pablo and Pedro Vicario go to kill Santiago. The entire town eventually learns of their plan, but does nothing to stop it, or warn Santiago, who is brutally killed. Each character either has his or her own reasons for not telling Santiago or their attempts to warn Santiago fail for some reason. Although the narrator attempted to recreate what happened surrounding this topic, there are many contrary accounts on even the most trivial things. As a result of this, there is no solid denouement leaving the reader to make his or her own decisions regarding the unanswered questions.
