The novel flashes back to the past in Lahore, Pakistan, where Misbah, newly married to Toufiq, lived with Toufiq’s parents. One night, Toufiq’s mother, Nargis, came home drunk and revealed that Toufiq was the illegitimate child of another man and that Junaid married Nargis and took Toufiq as his own son. Misbah was shocked, and when she shared her newfound knowledge with her father, he counseled her to refrain from passing judgment. Misbah and Toufiq moved to their own apartment soon after this incident, and Junaid came almost daily to visit, striking up a sweet friendship with Misbah. One day, however, he did not come.

Sal starts dealing drugs and makes enough money to get Ama’s car back and pay several bills. He pays down the business loan by $800 and gets an extension on the deadline. Noor finds Sal and Art talking together, but Sal hides the truth from her and worries that criminal activity might be changing his character. In Sal’s apartment, Abu appears sober, and Noor and Sal pray namaz together. Sal accidentally nudges Noor’s arm while looking through the refrigerator, and when Noor has a dramatic reaction, she claims the freezer door at the liquor shop injured her arm.