The story begins, with a fisherman old man,who has not caught a fish in 84 days. He is also not eating very much. The two factors are related. We also meet a boy who is dear friends with the old man. The old man taught him to fish when he was young, and the boy brings the old man food. The old man has a name (Santiago), as does the young boy (Manolin), but the text always refers to them as "the old man" and "the boy."