the start of the novel, we are introduced to the characters traveling on a train to Lourdes, where Marie struggles with her illness and contemplates the arduous journey ahead. Her father, M. de Guersaint, along with the compassionate Abbé Pierre Froment, supports her as she faces the realities of her condition. Other passengers, including fellow patients and the dedicated sisters attending to them, bring a tapestry of stories interwoven with suffering and hope. The scene captures not only the physical challenges of the journey but also the emotional weight carried by the characters as they collectively seek solace and perhaps miraculous intervention at the sacred site. (This is an automatically generated summary.)