Ramona and Sue are American students at a German university that are somewhat friendly to each other because they happened to sit next to each other in class. Sue is terribly shy, even though she secretly does not like Ramona very much; the latter is intelligent, but overwhelms their conversations with her own erudite interests to the extent that Sue is unable to do anything but listen politely. Ramona is also fat, presumably due to her eating disorder, which links her appetite to her emotions. Her obesity affects her appearance, leading Sue to regard her with disdain - it is not until Ramona reveals how rich she is that Sue begins to take an interest in her 'friend.' Delighted at this response, Ramona begins to tell stories. She talks about her fabulously wealthy family, their expensive vacations and famous parties and scandalous acquaintances. She reveals that her twin Martha was lovelier than she was - but that Martha was sick and died at the age of sixteen. Sue assumes that Ramona has moved on from this loss, and the girls talk excitedly about the skiing trip they will take at the end of the year. This trip is Ramona's idea, and she offers to finance it as well; Sue's interest in their friendship stems from her desire to see this wonderfully wealthy family up close, especially Ramona's handsome brothers. Ramona begs Sue to help her regulate what she eats, but Sue does this half-heartedly. It becomes clear, however, that Ramona is unable to abstain from over-eating. Ultimately, she snaps - screaming at Sue and accusing everyone in her life of duplicity and disloyalty. Sue is unsure how to react, but she knows by now that the skiing trip she wanted so badly will probably not happen. The girls go to Ramona's lodgings, where Sue discovers that Ramona's full name is Martha Ramona Dunn. There was no twin; the obesity that had destroyed Ramona's self-esteem and pushed her towards lying had been a recent development, and her family had punished her for it by sending her abroad for a year to 'fix' herself. While Ramona rages, Sue abandons her at the apartment and leaves to go home. She makes it back just in time to get a meal, but she flees the restaurant in terror when the waiter makes a joke about her getting fat.