Summary

In "Prologue," when Anjali Joshi was 13, she lived in Bombay with her parents and brothers, Vivek and Dhruv. Her mother, Lakshmi, devoted herself to advancing the boys' skills. She made elixirs with "a perplexing, deep-yellow" color to help them succeed (6). Once, Anjali sipped the forbidden drink. Years later, "in her own kitchen in Hammond Creek, Georgia," Anjali worked on a similar drink for her daughter (6).

In Part One, "Golden Children," Chapter 1, in his freshman year of high school, Neil's biggest ambition was to find "a date to the Spring Fling dance" (11). Finally his "neighbor and childhood best friend, Anita Dayal," agreed to go with him (11).

On the night of the dance, Anita arrived late, having gone to a picture party with the popular crowd. She disappeared during the dance, and Neil spent time with his friends. Later, he found a group of...