The chapter opens with a flashback to the time of the murder of Zillah's mother. Zillah is now a widow and has lost her baby. She is angry that the family that killed her has not been compensated for the loss of her child. She tells her family that she will not marry anyone from the Zillah family. She also tells them that her grandmother, who has always preferred boys over girls, has sent her only one longevity lock, which means that she is planning to return to her homeland. She says that she plans to go to her grandmother and ask for her child's hand in marriage