diff --git a/Cargo.toml b/Cargo.toml
index 285bd6e..0e1179a 100644
--- a/Cargo.toml
+++ b/Cargo.toml
@@ -11,3 +11,6 @@ description = "The package provides an interface to SQLite."
 [dependencies]
 libc = "*"
 sqlite3-sys = "*"
+
+[dev-dependencies]
+temporary = "*"
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 16778a9..77ac048 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -1,9 +1,53 @@
+#![allow(unused_unsafe)]
+
 extern crate libc;
 extern crate sqlite3_sys as raw;
 
+use std::path::Path;
+
+/// A result.
+pub type Result<T> = std::result::Result<T, Error>;
+
+/// An error.
+#[derive(Debug)]
+pub struct Error {
+    pub code: ErrorCode,
+    pub message: Option<String>,
+}
+
+macro_rules! raise(
+    ($message:expr) => (
+        return Err(::Error { code: ::ErrorCode::Error, message: Some($message.to_string()) })
+    );
+    ($code:expr, $message:expr) => (
+        return Err(::Error { code: $code, message: $message })
+    );
+);
+
+macro_rules! success(
+    ($result:expr) => (
+        match $result {
+            ::raw::SQLITE_OK => {},
+            code => raise!(unsafe { ::std::mem::transmute(code as i8) }, None),
+        }
+    );
+);
+
+macro_rules! path_to_c_str(
+    ($path:expr) => ({
+        match $path.to_str() {
+            Some(path) => match ::std::ffi::CString::new(path) {
+                Ok(string) => string.as_ptr(),
+                Err(_) => raise!("failed to process a path"),
+            },
+            None => raise!("failed to process a path"),
+        }
+    });
+);
+
 /// A result code.
 #[derive(Clone, Copy, Debug)]
-pub enum ResultCode {
+pub enum ErrorCode {
     Abort = raw::SQLITE_ABORT as isize,
     Authorization = raw::SQLITE_AUTH as isize,
     Busy = raw::SQLITE_BUSY as isize,
@@ -37,6 +81,27 @@ pub enum ResultCode {
     Warning = raw::SQLITE_WARNING as isize,
 }
 
-#[cfg(test)]
-mod tests {
+/// A database.
+pub struct Database {
+    db: *mut raw::sqlite3,
+}
+
+impl Database {
+    pub fn open(path: &Path) -> Result<Database> {
+        let mut db = 0 as *mut _;
+        unsafe { success!(raw::sqlite3_open(path_to_c_str!(path), &mut db)) };
+        Ok(Database { db: db })
+    }
+}
+
+impl Drop for Database {
+    #[inline]
+    fn drop(&mut self) {
+        unsafe { ::raw::sqlite3_close(self.db) };
+    }
+}
+
+#[inline]
+pub fn open(path: &Path) -> Result<Database> {
+    Database::open(path)
 }
diff --git a/tests/lib.rs b/tests/lib.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..15f9014
--- /dev/null
+++ b/tests/lib.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,20 @@
+extern crate sqlite;
+extern crate temporary;
+
+use std::path::PathBuf;
+use temporary::Directory;
+
+macro_rules! ok(
+    ($result:expr) => ($result.unwrap());
+);
+
+#[test]
+fn open() {
+    let (path, _directory) = setup();
+    let _database = ok!(sqlite::open(&path));
+}
+
+fn setup() -> (PathBuf, Directory) {
+    let directory = ok!(Directory::new("sqlite"));
+    (directory.path().join("database.sqlite3"), directory)
+}