In Chapter 12 of The Time of the Butterflies, Minerva, Patria, and Mate are under house arrest with a Captain Pena supervising them. Hearing that OLSA has imposed sanctions, Dede warns her sisters of the dangers of visiting their husbands, but the sisters insist upon going. A few days later, more restrictions are imposed and now they cannot visit until September. Minerva's husband Manolo has told her that he fears he and the other political prisoners will be killed. Hearing this reignites Minerva's revolutionary spirit; she decides, "The butterflies are not about to give up!"

So, Patria and Minerva travel to Dr. Delia Santos and ask her if there is anyone yet involved in the revolution; Delia writes the name of Dr. Pedro Vinas, a urologist, on a slip of paper, then tears it and several other slips into shreds. When he learns that the sisters have visited Delia, Captain Pena is furious because she is known as a "political." But, Patria silences him by informing him that she and her sister are having "female problems" and must visit Dr. Vinas.

During their visit to Dr. Vinas, a revolutionary like them, the women are informed that his contacts have all failed. Vinas tells them that the men were ready to go, but the "gringos" did not bring the guns as planned. Nevertheless "some of the boys" went anyway. He explains that the

"gringos got cold feet. Afraid we're all communists. They say they don't want another Fidel. They'd rather have a dozen Trujillos."

But, because the "gringos" only care about money, Vinas feels that another attempt to defeat Trujillo can be accomplished.