Amal's father orders her to stay home from school to care for her sisters while her mother recovers after giving birth.

Amal sneaks to the open-air market alone and is knocked down by a car belonging to a wealthy stranger.

Amal refuses to hand over her pomegranate to the arrogant stranger who struck her and walks away defiantly.

Jawad Khan arrives at Amal's home and demands she become his servant to repay her father's secret debt.

Amal says tearful goodbyes to her family and is driven away to the Khan estate by Jawad's driver.

Mumtaz assigns Amal as Nasreen Baji's personal servant and places her in a room connected to Nasreen's suite.

Jawad discovers Amal using his private library and permanently bans her from accessing the books she depends on.

Amal confronts two armed police officers at the estate, blocking them from entering further and protecting the servants from punishment.

Nasreen takes Amal on a shopping trip to Lahore, where Amal sees a street protest for the first time.

Jawad orders Amal to attend the Khan-sponsored literacy center to make it appear well-attended for Khan's election campaign.

Asif shows Amal a news article revealing that Jawad is under police investigation for the disappearance of a diplomat's son.

Amal overhears Jawad confess to his father that he ordered the diplomat's son killed for showing him disrespect.

Amal passes Bilal's knowledge of the buried body's location to Asif at the literacy center, risking her own safety.

Three police officers arrive at the Khan estate and handcuff Jawad while Khan Sahib has already been taken in for questioning.

Nasreen forgives Amal's debt and releases her from servitude, and Amal walks home free and full of hope.

Amal's story begins when a small act of defiance against the powerful Jawad Khan results in her being forced into indentured servitude at the Khan estate. As Nasreen's personal servant, Amal struggles to survive under Jawad's cruel authority while secretly fighting to preserve her love of learning. A visit to the Khan-sponsored literacy center connects Amal with a teacher who shows her that challenging those in power is possible. When Amal overhears Jawad confess to murder, she bravely passes the evidence to her contact at the literacy center, fully aware of the danger she faces. Her courage pays off when police arrive and arrest both Jawad and his father. Finally freed from her debt, Amal walks home to her family with her future restored.

Amal's journey from defiant village girl to courageous servant who brings down the Khan family.

Omar tells Amal he has won a full scholarship to Ghalib Academy, a prestigious nearby boys' boarding school.

Seema brings home a bundle of schoolwork from Miss Sadia, allowing Amal to continue her education from home.

Neighboring women visiting Amma describe how Jawad burned down an entire village to punish residents who defied him.

Amal's father confronts her about the market incident and reveals the man in the car was Jawad Sahib.

Amma discovers that Abu secretly borrowed money from Jawad to save the family farm, and the couple argues bitterly.

Jawad finds Amal preparing to call home and confiscates her phone, cutting off her connection to her family.

Nabila tricks Amal into searching for a nonexistent serving tray and takes Nasreen's breakfast upstairs herself.

Fatima asks Amal to teach her to read, and Amal begins with the first letter of the Arabic alphabet.

Nabila reveals she was traded by her own family to pay for her older sister's wedding.

Nabila tricks Amal into walking to the abandoned ruins of Hazarabad, the village Jawad burned to the ground.

Amal returns home to attend Hafsa's sister Shabnum's wedding celebration and is reunited with her overjoyed family.

Fozia tearfully begs Amal to ask Nasreen to reduce the amount the Khan family demands from Fozia's household.

Amal discovers her mother's gold bangles are missing, sold in a desperate attempt to raise money for Amal's release.

Asif teaches Amal computer basics at the literacy center, filling her with excitement at learning something entirely new.

Bilal reveals to Amal that he knows the exact location where the diplomat's son's body was buried by Jawad's men.

Before Amal's capture, her world is shaped by friendship, family hardship, and the slow tightening of the Khan family's grip on the village. Omar's scholarship, Amal's secret schoolwork arrangement with Miss Sadia, and the disturbing gossip about Jawad's cruelty all lay the groundwork for what is to come. At the estate, Amal faces small but significant battles — Nabila's jealousy, Jawad's confiscation of her phone — while forming bonds with Fatima and learning the tragic stories of her fellow servants. A bittersweet visit home for Shabnum's wedding is shadowed by Fozia's desperate plea and the discovery of Amma's missing bangles, deepening Amal's outrage at Jawad's reach. Back at the estate, Asif's computer lessons open Amal's eyes to the wider world and the tools of resistance. Finally, Bilal's revelation about the buried body gives Amal the crucial evidence she needs to act.

The supporting events and relationships that shape Amal's life inside and outside the Khan estate.

Amal sadly informs Miss Sadia she can no longer help after class, giving up the role she treasures most.

Amal picks up baby Lubna and feels love, then notices her parents are red-eyed and devastated the baby is a girl.

Amal realizes her mother's ongoing depression means she cannot return to school and that her dreams are fading further away.

Amma apologizes to Amal for her absence and explains that wanting a son is rooted in tradition, not lack of love.

Hafsa offers to hide Amal from Jawad while Seema finds and gives Amal her childhood doll before she departs.

Jawad taunts Amal cruelly in front of the household staff at the servants' dinner, reducing her to tears.

Amal learns that Nasreen grew up in a village near her own home and even knew people from her community.

Bilal and Ghulam warn Amal to stand up for herself after Nabila's sabotage or she will always be taken advantage of.

Nasreen privately tells Amal she knows Amal did not damage the silk garment, demonstrating that she trusts Amal over Nabila.

Nabila explains that Jawad charges the servants room and board daily, ensuring their debt can never fully be repaid.

Jawad slaps Amal and threatens further punishment after Nabila's trick leads him to believe Amal tried to escape.

Amal realizes Seema has taken her place as eldest daughter when Seema arrives at the mehndi celebration in a new dress.

Nasreen admits to Amal she has not seen her own family in eleven years because Khan forbids contact with villagers.

Nabila gives Amal the key to Jawad's filing cabinet, and they find records proving Jawad had Nabila's cousin killed.

Nasreen decides to visit her estranged sister's family after Amal tells her it is never too late to reconnect.

This pool follows the key emotional and moral turning points in Amal's journey — the quiet moments of revelation that change how she sees herself and her world. From her sorrowful farewell to Miss Sadia to her parents' visible devastation at Lubna's birth, Amal's eyes open to the deep inequities woven into her culture. At the Khan estate, small but pivotal moments — discovering Nasreen's true origins, being warned to stand up for herself, and learning that the servants' debt can never be repaid — shift Amal from passive grief to determined resistance. Her visit home forces her to confront how thoroughly her identity has been displaced, while Nasreen's confession about eleven years without family deepens Amal's resolve to fight back. The discovery of Jawad's hidden crimes and Nasreen's final decision to reconnect with her estranged family bring the emotional arc of the novel to its quiet, hopeful resolution.

The turning points and revelations that transform Amal's understanding of herself and her world.