Summary

Yaw – Introductory narration reveals that Yaw has become a teacher and writer, committed to African independence and freedom; that his face is scarred as a result of what happened to him as a child; and that he spends most of his off-duty time with a school friend. It was that friend, narration comments, who told a girl who had reacted badly to Yaw’s scar (who had, in fact, said that no-one would marry him because their children would be ugly) that “… you could not inherit a scar … Yaw no longer knew if he believed this was true” (228).

Narration reveals that Yaw has not been home to his village (Edweso) since he was six. When he was young, the villagers put together a collection to pay for him to be sent away to go to school.

Time passes, and Yaw realizes that his...