Gatsi, who works for a publishing firm, rents a room in Harare’s Highfield neighborhood from a former classmate, Kute. Though unemployed, Kute lives with his father, who provides him with a small allowance.

One day, Kute brings home a young woman he met at a bar. Having lost the key to his bedroom, Kute tries to pick the lock while the woman stays in Gatsi’s room. Gatsi learns that the woman comes from a small rural area like the one he hails from, and that her boyfriend is loosely associated with an antigovernment resistance group known as the vanamukoma. The boyfriend told her to look for him in Highfield if he ever disappeared. Kute promised to direct her to Highfield, even though they are already there. Gatsi realizes that Kute tricked the woman into coming home with him. Despite his disgust at Kute’s actions, Gatsi does not explain to the woman that they are in Highfield. Clearly uncomfortable, Gatsi picks up a book of poetry from his large stack of books in the corner of the room.

Having successfully picked his lock, Kute returns to retrieve the woman. After 40 minutes, Gatsi hears the woman crying. Five minutes after that, Kute returns to complain that the woman is pregnant, though that did not stop him from exploiting her for sex under false pretenses.