Plot Overview
Tambu, the narrator, is unmoved by the death of her brother, Nhamo. The
afternoon he is expected home at the end of his term at the mission school, he does
not arrive. He dislikes taking the bus and then walking the rest of the way through
the countryside to the family's homestead. Tambu is relieved at his absence, as she
does not have to kill and prepare a chicken to celebrate his return.
Tambu then reflects on the events leading up to her brother's death. Despite
the family's poverty, Tambu's parents were able to raise the fees to send Nhamo to
school. There was not enough money to send Tambu as well, so she decided to grow and
sell vegetables and raise the money herself. When she discovered that her brother
was stealing food from her garden patch, she attempted to beat him up while the two
were attending Sunday school. Tambu's teacher, Mr. Matimba, took her to Umtali, a
local urban center, to sell green ears of corn. A white woman, Doris, and her
husband pitied Tambu and gave Mr. Matimba ten pounds sterling to pay for her
education.
The extended family gathered to celebrate the return of Babamukuru, his wife,
Maiguru, and their two children, Chido and Nyasha, back from studying abroad in
England. Chido and Nyasha, Tambu's cousins, had lost the ability to speak their
native tongue, Shona. Maiguru did not want them participating in the dancing and
other festive activities. At the end of the meal, Tambu was ordered to bring a bowl
of water to each member of the extended family so they could wash their hands.
Babamukuru's three siblings praised his success. He proposed educating a member of
each family, focusing especially on the neediest branch, Tambu's clan. They chose
Nhamo to go to the mission school, but after his sudden death, Tambu is selected to
replace him.
Tambu, returning her focus to the present, is excited and awed by her new life
in her aunt and uncle's house on the mission school grounds. Maiguru warmly welcomes
Tambu into her new home. She serves Tambu tea and pastries and gives her an entirely
new wardrobe, all in preparation for her first day of school. The coldness and
emotional distance that once existed between Nyasha and Tambu quickly disappear.
Tambu becomes absorbed in her studies. She soon learns the rhythms of
the household, witnessing Nyasha and Babamukuru's frequent fights. She
also learns that Maiguru is highly educated.
To mark the end of the term, Nyasha, Tambu, and the children of white
missionaries attend a dance. Tambu reluctantly joins the festivities. At the end of
the evening, Nyasha resists coming inside, still trying to master a new dance one of
the boys is teaching her. When the young people finally enter the house, a violent
argument erupts between Babamukuru and Nyasha, in which Babamukuru accuses Nyasha of
lewd behavior. Nyasha strikes her father, who vows to kill her for performing the
taboo act of assaulting her own parent. Nyasha grows more detached in the following
weeks, and Tambu tries to help assuage her guilt.
During the school vacation, Tambu and her relatives head back to the
homestead. Maiguru laments the fact that, as senior wife, she is expected to cook
and clean for the extended family the entire time. Babamukuru is upset to find
Lucia, Tambu's mother's sister, and Takesure, a relative of Tambu's father, still
living at the homestead. To make matters worse, Lucia is pregnant with Takesure's
child. A family meeting is held to decide what course of action should be taken.
Ultimately the couple is allowed to remain, as Babamukuru shifts his focus to
another moral issue that rankles him: his own brother's unsanctified domestic
status. Babamukuru declares that Jeremiah and Ma'Shingayi must be married in a
formal Christian ceremony as soon as possible.
Tambu's mother comes to the mission hospital and gives birth to a son. Lucia
soon follows and asks Babamukuru to find her a job, which he does. She cooks at the
school and begins taking classes. Preparations are being made for the impending
nuptials. When it comes time to leave, Tambu, who is vehemently opposed to her
parents' wedding, feigns illness. When Babamukuru tells her to be ready in thirty
minutes, she refuses to attend. When he returns from the wedding, he punishes her by
lashing her and forcing her to perform the maid's duties for two weeks. Maiguru
argues with Babamukuru over the lack of respect that she gets and the fact that her
economic contribution to the family is not recognized. She leaves the next day and
stays with her son, Chido.
While the girls are preparing for final exams, nuns arrive at the mission and
administer a test. Tambu is offered a scholarship to study at the esteemed mission
school. At first, Babamukuru is opposed to her accepting the offer, but he
eventually relents. Home for the holiday, Tambu finds her mother ill. Lucia arrives
and nurses her sister back to health. When Tambu returns to the mission and prepares
to leave for the convent school, she cannot find Nyasha anywhere. When she finally
finds Nyasha, Nyasha is cold toward her, upset that her best friend will soon be
leaving and she will be left alone with her unsympathetic father.
Tambu leaves for the convent school, where she shares a crowded room with
other African girls. Busy with her studies, she soon falls out of touch with Nyasha.
Tambu returns to the mission to find Nyasha changed, frightfully thin and suffering
from a severe eating disorder. One night, Nyasha has what appears to be a psychotic
episode. Nyasha sees a psychiatrist and slowly regains her health. Tambu fears she
is succumbing to the negative, colonial influence that made Nyasha mentally ill. Her
other cousin, Chido, has a white girlfriend, much to Maiguru's chagrin. Tambu
declares her intention to begin questioning her world and the influences that it
exerts on her.
