Part 2, Chapters 6-7 Summary

In chapter six, "The Truth of Dreams," Emperor Shah Jahan and his family mourn the death of their beloved wife and mother. Aurangzeb is given control of a large part of the army and he leaves to fight the Persians in the north. Shah Jahan directs Dara to deal with the court squabbles and then demands that Jahanara help her father create a design for a mausoleum for Arjumand. To this end, the Emperor puts her in charge of the project when he cannot be present. Then he introduces Ustad Isa, Ustad meaning Master as in Master Builder.

Isa is a surprisingly young man, Jahanara shyly notes with interest, but he is renowned throughout the Empire for his buildings of incredible beauty. The Emperor demands that he build a magnificent edifice in honor of Arjumand, all in white, that...