Cry, The Beloved Country Book 1, Chapter 1

The story begins: "There is a lovely road that runs from Ixopo into the hills" Chapter 1, pg. 3, first describing the intense natural beauty of this rural South African landscape, then hinting that, when one enters the hills, the beauty breaks down. The fields are overworked, and there is famine and drought. The men, young men and young women have all left this place, because it cannot support them anymore.