Characters are rendered not only through the eyes of the omniscient narrator, but through those of other chief characters, giving a rich multifaceted view of their motives and forces that have shaped them.

The central character of this novel is the chief priest of the god Ulu, who originated in reaction to the marauding of the neighboring tribe of Abame whose mercenaries raided the six villages now joined together as Umuaro in order to capture slaves. He has married three wives, one of whom has died, and tends to shift his affections from older sons onto younger ones. Seen through the eyes of his oldest son Edogo, he is single minded and expects all others to think as he does. Thus the growing isolation, contributed to heavily by the advance of colonialism, is seen to be partly his fault. As the novel opens, Ezuelu is unhappy with the...