Bonne Femme is primarily the story of Richard Carter, a young man whose life was changed by events in Somalia.  The opening scene is the beginning of his experiences there.  Other slices of experience there are glimpsed throughout the story via his memories and dreams.  How much of it is objectively true and how much productive memory is a question he continues to ponder.

 

          The second scene takes us directly into the heart of the story, where he has just done something drastic.  Then we must flash back to see how he was moved to make the terrible decision that he has made.