Atlas Shrugged

Dagny receives startling news from Eddie: the Mexican government has seized the San Sebastian Mines—only to discover that they are worthless. After five years of heavy investment, including millions from James and other businessmen, the mines have produced nothing. The land contains no valuable copper, just empty pits. Now, the Mexican government is accusing Francisco d’Anconia of fraud. Dagny, stunned, refuses to believe the failure was an accident. Francisco is too intelligent to make a mistake like that. She is certain he did it on purpose and leaves right away to meet with him.

As Dagny walks to Francisco’s hotel, memories of their childhood resurface. They spent summers together at the Taggart estate. Francisco, heir to the d’Anconia copper empire, was raised with pride and discipline. Even as a boy, he believed that greatness had to be earned, not inherited. He excelled at everything—languages, academics, sports—but insisted on learning business by doing real labor. He secretly worked blue-collar jobs—first, as a cabin boy on ships carrying copper, and then as a messenger at Taggart Transcontinental. Even as a young man, he wanted to understand the world from the ground up.

Francisco and Dagny shared a fierce bond. Along with Eddie, they spent summers exploring and competing, always testing each other’s strength and ideas. Meanwhile, James watched from a distance, jealous and bitter. As teenagers, Dagny and Francisco became lovers. Their relationship was driven by mutual admiration and ambition. Francisco taught her that pride, achievement, and clear thinking were the highest virtues. But after college, he changed. He became withdrawn and distant. Eventually, he vanished from her life with no explanation.

After inheriting the d’Anconia empire, Francisco shocked the world by becoming a public disgrace. Once admired as a brilliant businessman, he turned himself into a tabloid sensation. He threw wild parties, burned through money, and made reckless investments. Dagny could not reconcile this empty playboy with the man she once loved. For years, she has tried to understand why he abandoned everything he stood for.

Now, in his lavish hotel suite, Francisco greets Dagny with casual charm. He is lounging on the floor, playing with a handful of expensive marbles. Dagny confronts him, accusing him of setting up the San Sebastian disaster on purpose. Francisco smiles and admits it—he intended to trick James and his partners into losing their investment. He wanted them to pay for investing blindly in his name, without asking questions or doing any real work.

Francisco hints that this is part of something bigger. He says the world is corrupt, rewarding parasites and punishing creators. He tells Dagny he is fighting back in his own way—though he refuses to explain what that means. Dagny is furious. She accuses him of betrayal and cowardice. Francisco accepts the charges without argument. Then, just before she storms out, he says softly: “Who is John Galt?” The phrase makes Dagny pause and gives Francisco a chance to say that he still cares for her, though he is too miserable to act on it. He also says she is strong, but she’s not ready to hear certain truths. He tells her she will understand one day—but only when she is ready to face the hardest questions.