 The second and third storylines are set in 1961 , in the weeks prior to and following Trujillo 's assassination on 30 May . Each assassin has his own background story , explaining his motivation for his involvement in the assassination plot . Each has been <unk> by Trujillo and his regime , by torture and brutality , or through assaults on their pride , their religious faith , their morality , or their loved ones . Vargas Llosa <unk> the tale of the men as memories recalled on the night of Trujillo 's death , as the conspirators lie in wait for " The Goat " . <unk> with these stories are the actions of other famous <unk> of the time : Joaquín Balaguer , the puppet president ; Johnny Abbes García , the merciless head of the Military Intelligence Service ( SIM ) ; and various others — some real , some <unk> of historical figures , and some purely fictional . 
