Part One: Walking

In the first flashback of the novel, Munira is seen arriving in Ilmorog to teach at the primary school. He meets Abdullah, the owner of the village shop and bar, and his adopted brother, Joseph. They are soon joined by Wanja, who has left her life as a bargirl to join her grandmother, Nyakinyua, on their ancestral land. Some time later comes the Karega. In various confessional narratives, the characters reveal important facts about themselves. Both Munira and Karega had, at different times, been expelled from elite Siriana High School for their involvement in strikes. The leader of the strike during Munira's tenure at Siriana was the charismatic and brilliant Chui. Wanja recounts her relationship with an older man who seduced her while she was still a schoolgirl and abandoned her when she became pregnant. It is also revealed that Karega's mother, Miriamu, has worked...