Summary

The second part of the novel shifts to focus on Akoko's daughter, Nyabera. After suffering several miscarriages, Nyabera has a daughter named Awiti. She is nervous that Awiti will not survive, but her fears are allayed when Awiti shows healthy development. However, tragedy then strikes when her husband Okumu dies suddenly. Nyabera struggles to cope with the loss while raising Awiti alone. She later remarries but still feels lonely and helpless, as her second husband shows no interest in supporting her, even when she suffers through several more miscarriages. Seeking solace, she travels to a Christian mission and converts to Catholicism, receiving a formal religious education. She is baptized and takes the Christian name Maria.

Missing her mother, Akoko, and daughter, Awiti, Maria leaves the mission and returns home to her village. She talks...