Summary

In “Srirangapatna, Mysore: 1794,” Chapter I, Abbas lives with his mother, father, and brothers. Abbas works in his father’s shop, making toys. One day, “one of Tipu Sultan’s royal guards” appears, insisting Abbas come “to the Summer Palace” (4).

Because Srirangapatna is filled with spies for Tipu and his enemies, Abbas worries he is in trouble. The kingdom has been restless since “the most recent war with the English” (5). Everyone anticipates another conflict.

Although Abbas “has never been to the Summer Palace,” he has been making toys for Zubaida Begum, “one of the high-ranking consorts” (5).

At the palace, Abbas meets with Tipu and Lucien Du Leze, “the greatest inventor in France” (11). Tipu has heard about Abbas’s toys. Although Zubaida was a traitor, Tipu has decided to spare Abbas. He wants him to work with Du Leze to make an automaton for his...