Part II: Section 44 Summary

About three hours after Lester Burdon made his threats through the closed door, Esmail asks his father what he is going to do. Nadi takes charge, telling her son to clean up. She drains the tub and makes a bed for him there. She tells him that his father is a colonel and will easily take care of this business. Behrani tells Esmail not to be afraid. His son now rests on a bed of towels inside the tub and his wife on a bed of towels beside him.

Behrani thinks back to the family's being driven through the back alleys of the burning streets of Mehrabad, Nadi holding Esmail, his one hand holding Soraya and the other the .45 that the American officer had given him. When they arrived at the gates, the guards had waved them on; his...