Chapters 1-2 Summary

Ranofer is a young Egyptian boy who has been orphaned and forced to live with his half-brother, Gebu. Due to his young age and precarious situation, Ranofer is forced to live and work at Gebu's whim or face living on the streets, begging for his food.

In chapter one, Ranofer is working as a porter in Rekh, the goldsmith's, shop. Ranofer would rather be an apprentice, but his half-brother, Gebu, will not pay the required fees. In fact, Ranofer is forced to hand over all his pay to Gebu. Ibni, another worker in the shop, approaches Ranofer and tells him he will have a wineskin the next night that he wants Ranofer to take home to Gebu. Ranofer is polite and agrees. However, when he later learns that someone has been stealing gold from the shop, he begins to wonder if...