In Part One, Meursault works as a shipping clerk in Algiers, a city in North Africa. He learns of his mother’s death, and although he is somewhat ambivalent upon hearing the news, he travels to the nursing home to attend her funeral and sit in vigil over her body. At the funeral he displays little emotion and is not interested in viewing his mother’s body.

The following day, back in Algiers, Meursault meets a young woman, Marie Cardona, and they go swimming together. Because of Meursault’s cheerful attitude, Marie is surprised to learn of his mother’s death. Later, in the evening, they see a comic film together and then return to Meursault’s apartment where they make love. Meursault spends the next day alone in his apartment, eating, and watching