In her unchanged bedroom, Eniiyi looks in the mirror and sees the reflection of her dead aunt, Monife, whom she is said to resemble exactly. Her grandmother, Kemi (Grandma East), approaches singing and embraces her warmly, though Eniiyi detects a brief hesitation. Kemi urges her not to delay bringing a boyfriend home, using Ebun as a cautionary example.

As Eniiyi starts to leave, Ebun stops her and reveals that Bunmi (Grandma West) has dementia. Her short-term memory is failing, and she sometimes does not recognize people. When Eniiyi asks why no one told her, Ebun retorts she would have known if she visited more often. Kemi quickly adds there was nothing Eniiyi could have done. Eniiyi heads toward the west wing to see Bunmi.

Eniiyi walks to Bunmi’s room with Sango. As she waits after knocking, she glances at Monife’s door and feels a cold draft, briefly hearing a soft voice. Sango waits outside.

She opens the curtains in the dark, tobacco-smelling room, revealing Bunmi looking far older than when Eniiyi had last seen her. Eniiyi greets her in Yoruba, but Bunmi asks if she is Monife. When Eniiyi tries to explain who she is, Bunmi does not hear and asks Monife for her glasses. Eniiyi feels like a ghost while Monife seems real.

After retrieving the glasses, Eniiyi hands them over, but Bunmi still sees Monife and scolds her for using her left hand, saying no man will marry a “leftie.” When Eniiyi tries to correct her, Bunmi grows agitated and shouts at her not to speak nonsense. After a coughing fit, she snaps at Monife to get water. Eniiyi agrees and leaves. In the hallway, she notices Monife’s door is warped and feels damp and cold when touched, thinking the house and everyone in it is falling apart.

Eniiyi finds Ebun in the kitchen and reports that Grandma West called her Monife and became agitated when corrected. Ebun casually suggests playing along, and her lack of concern upsets Eniiyi. Eniiyi announces she is going out.

She calls Funsho and learns he is at a bar with friends. Taking an Uber, she joins him with Tobias and Kunle. Funsho orders her a mojito, his concerned look reminding Eniiyi of Sango’s loyalty.

When Tobias points out two women entering and Kunle whistles, Eniiyi rolls her eyes. Kunle confronts her, saying her attitude is why she will not find a husband. Eniiyi retorts with a pointed joke about genetics, visibly affecting him. The conversation shifts to politics.

When Eniiyi jokes about Funsho trying to get her drunk, he becomes flustered. Tobias blurts out that Funsho should ask Eniiyi out, creating awkward silence as Eniiyi worries about complicating their friendship.

That night, Eniiyi dreams of Monife for the first time in about six years. In the vivid dreamscape, Monife stands at the ocean’s edge, looking tangible and alive. Eniiyi approaches, but as in past dreams, Monife does not speak or acknowledge her.

Eniiyi recalls she never told her mother or grandmothers about these recurring dreams, knowing the weight that the older women attribute to such visions. The return of the dream makes her feel unsteady. She tries to rationalize it as her imagination working overtime.

Eniiyi falls into the household routine, waking at 6:00 am to walk Sango. She is assigned daily chores. After finishing, she searches online for a job as a genetic counselor, a specialist who assists people with inherited genetic illnesses. Finding no vacancies, she reluctantly applies to lab and hospital roles.

One day, Eniiyi mentions going swimming. Bunmi shouts for her not to go, tears gathering in her eyes. Ebun runs in as Bunmi begs her to stop Eniiyi. Ebun blames Eniiyi for the outburst, then soothes Bunmi by promising Monife will not go near water. Upset by her mother calling her Monife, Eniiyi stumbles out, ignoring Sango’s whining.

As Eniiyi closes the gate, she bumps into a tall, good-looking man with graying hair and a luxurious beard. He holds flowers and asks if Ebun is home. Eniiyi realizes he is an admirer of her mother. The man introduces himself as Osagie and recognizes Eniiyi by name. When she asks if Ebun is expecting him, he becomes flustered. Eniiyi jokingly asks if he is a stalker, then tells him to call Ebun himself before walking away.

Funsho has been calling Eniiyi daily since the bar outing two weeks earlier. She ignores his present call but reads his WhatsApp message inviting her to Elegushi beach. She decides to go and replies with a thumbs-up emoji.

At Elegushi beach, Eniiyi finds Funsho’s group on reed mats. Wearing a mustard bikini, she enjoys the attention. Lagosians rarely swim in the ocean at public beaches like Elegushi. Eniiyi stands and dances, feeling comfortable in the spotlight. She feels unlike herself and wonders if this confident persona is how Monife was.

A fearful beach gateman runs over, telling everyone to leave because a man has gone into the water and cannot be reached. There are no lifeguards. The crowd begins packing without attempting rescue. Eniiyi spots a hand disappearing under water. She runs toward the ocean as Funsho calls after her.

Eniiyi dives in and swims toward the drowning man. He is barely conscious when she reaches him and pulls him toward shore. The waves pull them under twice, but she persists. Hands from shore help pull them out. Eniiyi collapses on the sand while Funsho scolds her. Someone performs mouth-to-mouth while others shout conflicting instructions. The man coughs up water and opens his eyes. Eniiyi thinks his eyes are beautiful.

A friend of the rescued man arrives to take him to the hospital. Funsho stops Eniiyi from accompanying them and fusses over her. Feeling cold, she wraps herself in a towel as her group prepares to leave.

That evening, Eniiyi arrives home to find Ebun angry. Ebun scolds her for being out and her phone being dead. Exhausted, Eniiyi reflects on the rescue, which is already blurring, and wonders if she truly felt a jolt when the man looked at her. Sango greets her enthusiastically.

The grandmothers enter the living room. Kemi questions Eniiyi about the boy who dropped her at the gate, asking if he is her boyfriend and whether he is Yoruba. Eniiyi clarifies he is not her boyfriend. Kemi laments that Eniiyi is not married yet. Ebun mutters a cynical comment about Kemi’s own marriage history.

Bunmi sharply interjects that the boy’s “tribe” matters. Eniiyi is shocked to realize her family is tribalistic. She looks at Ebun, who avoids her gaze by studying the floor.

That night, Eniiyi dreams of Monife again. The ocean waves are turbulent. Monife turns and looks directly at Eniiyi for the first time. Eniiyi sees tears falling from Monife’s eyes. When she asks what is wrong, Monife speaks for the first time, using Eniiyi’s own voice to say two words— “Not again” (107).

The narrative flashes back to the first three months of Eniiyi’s life. Ebun finds new motherhood overwhelming. Kemi is a flighty grandmother who is busy pursuing a fourth husband. Bunmi is overbearing, criticizing Ebun’s parenting and insisting on calling the baby “Motitunde.” Ebun tries to be patient, knowing Bunmi is grieving Monife, but her patience wears thin.

One day, while holding Eniiyi and frying plantain with one hand, hot oil splashes and burns Eniiyi’s thigh. Ebun realizes the burn is shaped like pampas grass—the same shape as Monife’s scar. Ebun tries to dismiss the similarity, but the parallel disturbs her deeply.

After four-month maternity leave, Ebun returns to work as an accountant and struggles to focus due to sleep deprivation. She relies on Kemi and Bunmi for childcare, often not returning until 10:00 pm, when Eniiyi is already asleep.

One night, returning late, Ebun finds Kemi, Bunmi, and Mama G sitting in a grim semicircle. Her mother insists she listen to what they have to say about Eniiyi and Monife’s reincarnation.

Ebun angrily dismisses their delusions and tells them to keep Mama G away from her daughter. As Ebun walks away, she recalls unsettling events—Monife’s hospital visit, Eniiyi’s scar, the uncanny resemblance—and begins to fear something sinister is at play.

Kemi’s lineage traces back to Feranmi, who was cursed. At 17, Kemi was married off to a 45-year-old man. She bore him a son, but he died, leaving her with nothing.

Her second husband was handsome but cruel. She fled when his violence turned toward her son. Her third husband was wealthy but chronically unfaithful. She bore him two sons while he maintained numerous girlfriends.

Kemi had an affair with her doctor and became pregnant. It was the closest thing to love she had experienced, so she kept the baby. When her husband discovered the affair and the “illegitimate” child, he threw her out. Kemi retreated to her grandfather’s house, bringing only the child who needed her most: her baby girl, Ebun.

As three-year-old Eniiyi grows, her resemblance to Monife becomes more pronounced in appearance and mannerisms, including left-handedness. Ebun is most disturbed by Eniiyi’s knowing eyes, which seem too old for a child.

One evening, Ebun comes home to find her family in the west living room. Eniiyi is drawing with Sango sleeping beside her. The toddler runs to greet Ebun enthusiastically and shows her the drawing.

The drawing shows two identical figures, which Eniiyi explains represent a small and big version of herself. Ebun’s hands shake as she fears the implication. When Kemi asks to see it, Ebun impulsively tears it into pieces. Eniiyi starts to cry as Ebun walks away, leaving the scraps on the floor.

Ebun is studying late one night by candlelight during a power outage. She hears a door open and sees four-year-old Eniiyi walking down the corridor, followed by Sango. Ebun realizes her daughter is sleepwalking. She gently shakes Eniiyi awake and carries her back to bed.

The sleepwalking becomes regular. Following Kemi’s advice, Ebun decides to follow Eniiyi next time.

Ebun follows her daughter downstairs, through the kitchen, and into the courtyard. Eniiyi walks to the large iroko tree at the center, sits on one of its exposed roots, and stares blankly into the darkness. Watching her, Ebun feels her heart plummet with fear.