Summary

“Ro Leap,” the name of the next chapter, is the village where the family finally settles down. Loung learns that the term ‘base people’ is used to describe the people who had already lived in the village before the revolution, mainly illiterate farmers, who are considered model citizens by the Angkar because they have not been corrupted by the West. The new families who arrive in Ro Leap are viewed as scum and called capitalists by the base people. They must work hard, according to the Khmer Rouge, to be considered truly Khmer. In Ro Leap, everyone must wear black pants and shirts, wear their hair the same way, and work to grow food for the community. Loung is distraught when the Khmer Rouge burn all of the new arrivals’ clothing, including a beautiful red...