Karim finds himself constantly distracted by thoughts of Fauzia, imagining her face instead of focusing on work reports about pump installations. He walks the streets hoping to see her but hesitates to approach, afraid of making a fool of himself despite believing that he is smart and attractive. He falls in love with her without having had a meaningful conversation.

Over several weeks, their smiles and glances grow more lingering. They meet by chance at an open-air music festival. Fauzia attends with Hawa, who soon disappears for a surreptitious date with her manager. Karim stands beside Fauzia, and when he leans close to speak, their shoulders touch: “[H]e [gives] her his bright, assured smile, and she [is] ready to fall into his arms” (133). He stays with her all evening, walks her home, and invites her to see a film at the Old Fort the following night.

On their third date, he holds her hand as they sit on a bench on the promenade. She asks about his work in development and his university studies in geography and environmental studies. He teasingly declares that she is now his girlfriend, and she agrees.

Over several weeks, they grow closer, “shar[ing] embraces and kisses” (134). He confides his troubles: his unknown father and his mother’s emotional distance, which makes him fear that she cannot love him. Fauzia speaks of her ailing father and hovering mother and then reveals for the first time that she had epilepsy as a child. She admits a secret desire to do something unexpected, and he encourages her to be brave.

Their courtship becomes common knowledge. Jalila confronts Karim, warning that he will damage Fauzia’s reputation if he is simply toying with her. When pressed, Karim shouts that he loves her. Jalila asks if she should speak to Fauzia’s mother about marriage. Taken aback, Karim asks for time, citing his age (23) and lack of money for a dowry. Jalila assures him that if he truly loves Fauzia, they will find a way.

Khadija excitedly tells Fauzia that Jalila came to make a formal marriage inquiry on Karim’s behalf, calling it “one worry less” (137). Irritated, Fauzia challenges her mother, who defends herself by recounting her own marriage story: At 18, she was caring for her ill parents when their neighbor Musa, a 40-year-old widower, proposed. They were betrothed for two years, marrying after her parents died. Fauzia understands that her mother’s relief stems from worries that her epilepsy might affect her marriage prospects. She recalls Karim saying that now that he knows everything, nothing stands in the way of their happiness.

Hawa enthusiastically lists Karim’s positive attributes and urges Fauzia to make her own inquiries into details like his living arrangements. Khadija and Musa formally discuss the proposal with Fauzia. Khadija worries that Karim’s mother has not given her blessing. Musa tells Fauzia that she must be certain that this is what she wants.

A formal afternoon visit is arranged. Karim and Jalila arrive, and after polite conversation, Khadija and Jalila leave to fetch tea. Alone, Karim asks if Fauzia will marry him. She says yes and asks where they will live. He promises that they will rent an apartment together. When she asks about his mother’s blessing, he explains that his mother lives in Dar es Salaam and is indifferent but can be said to have given it. He moves to kiss her but is interrupted by Khadija’s return.

Fauzia refuses to allow a dowry, stating that she is “not being purchased” (144). Her parents are concerned, but she remains firm. The decision relieves Karim, who secretly uses a gift from his mother and Haji to commission gold jewelry for Fauzia. Meanwhile, Karim and Fauzia find a two-room apartment on the top floor of an old house. Haji helps with the deposit. The wedding is small, as they wished, though Khadija insists on a biriani banquet. Musa rents a house by the sea for the celebration.

A few days after the wedding, Musa collapses during evening prayer at the mosque. Other worshippers assist him, and he is taken to the hospital. Khadija arrives to find him confused. After two days, Dr. Khalid insists that Musa go home, stating that the overcrowded hospital is unsafe. Musa is diagnosed as having had a mild stroke. He can walk and talk with difficulty. When he wants to return to his shop, Dr. Khalid forbids it.

The narrative jumps forward two years. Haji and Raya travel to a wedding in Arusha, leaving Badar to care for the house and Uncle Othman. Uncle Othman has grown increasingly “morose and withdrawn” (149), barely speaking. Only Juma, the gardener, can still reach him.

Badar has become a competent cook and housekeeper. He describes Uncle Othman’s simple diet and changed routine: The old man no longer socializes or listens to the radio, and he sometimes wets the bed. Badar learned early to avoid eye contact with Othman, who looks at him with “loathing.” He thinks of him as Babu Mzee, the Old Man, and wonders about the source of his dislike.

When Juma comes to tend the garden, he tells Badar about Othman’s past. Juma began working on Othman’s farm when both were young. Othman was ambitious and energetic, running a farm with his wife, Bibiye. After Haji was born, Othman was happy. However, their daughter, Saada, died from a fever, and the same illness struck Bibiye, breaking her spirit. She lingered seven years before dying. Othman grew bad-tempered during her illness and sold the farm after her death.

Juma hints that there is more to the story and tells Badar to ask Haji. When Badar says that Othman dislikes him, Juma cryptically responds that it is Badar’s “luck” and that he looks like someone Othman dislikes. Badar asks if Juma knew his father. Juma confirms that he did, as did Othman, and then warns Badar that this is “not a good place for [him] to be” (157).

The next Tuesday, Othman barely touches his lunch. That evening, he angrily rejects supper and bolts both doors. The next morning, the back door remains bolted. Badar climbs the garden wall to go to the market and then climbs back with fish for the returning couple. When Raya and Haji arrive by taxi, Othman opens the front door. Badar greets them, unbolts the back door from inside, and awaits instructions. Raya sharply tells him to stay in the kitchen and serves the meal herself.

After a long wait, Haji comes to Badar’s room with a “scowling face,” sits on his trunk, and accuses him of stealing groceries.

Haji recalls Saada’s death from fever while he was at boarding school and how the same illness broke his mother’s health. While Haji was away at school and his mother was ailing, Othman’s relative, Ismail, came to live on the farm. Ismail was older, illiterate, and tough, but Haji befriended him and taught him about the world using his school atlas. However, after Haji left for college, Ismail grew quarrelsome and started mixing with a bad crowd. When Othman scolded him, Ismail grabbed Othman’s wrist, laughed, stole money from a cashbox, and disappeared. This betrayal deepened the despondency that Othman had felt since his wife’s death, and he eventually sold the farm.

Years later, a man named Mohamed Rashidi informed them that Ismail had fathered and abandoned a child after his wife died. Othman refused to take the child, so Haji arranged to pay Mohamed Rashidi to raise the boy, keeping him away. After 14 years, Mohamed Rashidi brought the boy back, saying that he was becoming troublesome. Haji persuaded Othman to take the boy, but Othman insisted that he never learn of their relation.

The narrative returns to the present. The day before Raya and Haji returned from their trip, Othman had stopped at Fadhili’s grocery shop and discovered the account was padded with items they never bought. Fadhili blamed Badar. When Haji returned, Othman therefore demanded that he get rid of Badar immediately.

However, when Haji confronts Badar, he sees his shocked reaction. He returns to Raya convinced of Badar’s innocence. Raya immediately suspects that the shopkeeper cheated them and shows her support by telling Badar to help himself to tea and food.

Karim arrives for a surprise visit. After hearing the story, he insists that Badar must be told the truth about his father. He offers to take Badar to Zanzibar with him the next morning.

Haji returns to Badar’s room. He tells Badar that he and Raya believe him innocent and that Fadhili likely cheated them. He then reveals the full story: Ismail was Badar’s real father, making Badar their relative. He also explains why Othman insisted on secrecy. Badar listens silently, finally understanding Othman’s hostility and Juma’s warnings. He weighs possible futures and knows that he must decide.

Karim invites Badar to stay with him and Fauzia in Zanzibar. The next morning, Badar leaves with Karim. Raya gives him a warm goodbye smile, and Haji gives him a bundle of money, promising that they will work something out. On the ferry to Zanzibar, Badar reflects on how little say he has had over the course of his life.