Ade Coker dies after a bomb delivered from the Head of State goes off in his hands while he is at breakfast with his family. Papa feels guilty, continuously prays, and is so distracted by the threat of soldiers destroying his factories that he neglects enforcing the kids’ schedules.

Kambili and Jaja look at Amaka’s painting of Papa-Nnukwu. Papa catches them, resulting in a beating so horrific that Kambili almost dies. She spends time in the hospital, takes her exams there, and gains the respect of the schoolgirls. After her release, she and Jaja return to Nsukka.

In Nsukka, all are nice to Kambili, especially Amaka. Kambili heals well in this nurturing environment. Eventually, she does “not even remember that [she] had once hoped never to open [her] eyes again, that fire had once dwelt in [her] body” (233). Amaka playfully teases her for being Father Amadi’s sweetheart.

Aunty Ifeoma appears on a list of disloyal lecturers at the university and defends her right to speak truth. Students continue rioting, and the university is closed. Jaja dwells in the garden, his haven. Father Amadi and Kambili spend time together at the stadium, where she notices his fostering nature is similar to Aunty Ifeoma’s.