Book 1, Chapter 1 Summary

The narrator, Salim, begins by describing his weeklong trip from the eastern coast of Africa to the interior of the country. He plans to open a store he bought in a town at the bend in the river. The past owner sold it cheaply after the revolution. Men with guns, who want money and supplies, stop Salim often. He thinks about slaves who were taken from their villages and driven on foot in the other direction. As he moves deeper into Africa, he wonders if he's made a mistake. He reaches the town and finds it more than half destroyed. His shop is in shambles. He will wait and see if the peace holds, and the people come back.

His first customer is a woman named Zabeth. She will become a regular customer, because she buys goods for her remote village...