Ulises becomes frustrated when he is stuck in a bus depot during a massive storm while his wife gives birth in nearby Mexico City. The elderly clerk, Martin, tells him that the storm has temporarily stopped the bus service. Intermittent broadcasts on Martin's radio report increasingly worse news, eventually revealing that the storm is suspected to be a worldwide phenomenon of unknown origin. Ulises attempts to call the hospital with the station's payphone, only to be disconnected after a brief exchange that only worries him further. Ulises asks to use Martin's phone, but Martin says he does not have an outside line.