she has inherited a seaside house in puerto rico from her deceased artist lover– she’s never been there before and has no idea quite what to expect– at first it seems kind of a nightmare– there’s an upstairs tenant who’s blasting heavy metal, and when she and her friend confront him, he’s belligerent and dreadful– a physical fight breaks out, and the two girls prevail, walloping him over the head with a hardback book and locking him up in his own cheap handcuffs. he gets hauled off by the authorities, and the house begins to unfold its fabulous secrets. it’s rustic-painted in blues and greens and sits on a small town street. there’s a huge open fireplace of an industrial type, like for glass-blowing, and it’s clear the house has been converted from some type of small factory and haphazardly and somewhat ingeniously retrofitted by the artist. there are stairways that pull down and staggered half-storeys. the girls go investigating closed doors, assisted by a couple of local fellows who show up to check out the new owner. she discovers a whole lovely bedroom wing and is uncertain at first whether it belongs to her or to another tenant– but then she realizes it’s all hers, tenants, rental income, rooms, and all. it’s her new home, with fantastic hidden spaces for all kinds of creative purposes and a quickly evolving community of friends.