Summary

In September 1946, Reverend Stephen Kumalo receives a letter from a fellow reverend in Johannesburg, Theophilus Msimangu. The letter asks him to come to the city to care for Kumalo’s sick sister, Gertrude. Though Kumalo and his wife have been saving money to send their son Absalom to a good school, they realize they will have to use the money for Kumalo’s trip. It is a moot point because Absalom is also in Johannesburg, supposedly looking for Gertrude. They have not heard from him in a year. Kumalo and his wife lament the loss of so much family to the city, including Kumalo’s carpenter brother, John. They haven’t heard from any relatives for a long time. The couple is tense about their lost family, and they bicker.

Kumalo travels to the train station with a friend, who asks Kumalo to...