Book 1, Chapter 3 Summary

Before Sophie leaves, Atie wants her to say goodbye to her grandmother, Ifé. Atie and Sophie make the five-hour trip in a van, which lets them off in La Nouvelle Dame Marie. Because the roads from the village to her grandmother's house are so rough, they must make the rest of the trek on foot. On the way, they pass a cane field full of bare-chested, sweaty, hard-working men. Upon arriving at her grandmother's house, Sophie races into her front yard to give her a hug. Her grandmother cooks a meal of Sophie's favorite foods, and then Sophie goes to bed. That night, Sophie has trouble sleeping. Tomorrow, the nightmare she has had all her life about her mother will finally come true: her mother will finally take her away.

In the morning, they leave quickly for Croix-des-Rosets, before Sophie's grandmother...