The narrator’s grandfather is a man nearing 90. He is a role model for the narrator, who looks up to him as a pillar of strength and endurance and as an example of how to live simply and happily. In spite of his age, the narrator’s grandfather is in full possession of his mental and physical powers. A religious man, he constantly carries a rosary in his hand and goes regularly to the mosque to attend prayers. He is good friends with Bint Majzoub, Wad Rayyes, and Bakri, with whom he spends his free time chatting and laughing. The murder of Wad Rayyes by Hosna Bint Mahmoud, however, devastates him, and sets the familiar world of the village of Wad Hamid—where he has spent his entire life—upside down.