Part 4, Chapters 22-25 Summary

In chapter twenty-two, "Allah's Desertion," Jahanara returns to Agra and goes to the Red Fort disguised as an older noblewoman. She discovers her father alive in the octagonal room, but in a terrible state. His health has declined once again, and the room has descended into chaos and filth. In her anger at her father's condition, she inadvertently reveals her identity to the guards. She argues with the main jailer, but he is Aurangzeb's creature, and he locks her in with her father. She is again a prisoner in the tower. Realizing she has made a grave mistake, she tries to focus on cleaning the room to make it habitable for her father. She sees to his needs as well, making him as comfortable as she can in the lice infested quarters.

Her husband, Khondamir, comes to the cell...