When Darius wakes up, he ventures outside, where he sees Babou climbing a ladder up onto the roof of the house. Babou then calls out for a boy named Sohrab, who is standing in the garden with a hose. Noticing Darius, Babou tells him to help Sohrab.

Darius awkwardly introduces himself to Sohrab, who is roughly his age and—to his relief—speaks English. Knowing how extended Iranian families can be, Darius asks if they’re related. Sohrab explains that they’re simply neighbors, before playfully turning the hose (which isn’t running) on Darius, as if to spray him: “I tried to glower at Sohrab, but it was impossible, because he was squinting again and I ended up laughing instead” (88). The boys take the hose to Babou so he can water his figs, which Sohrab says are the best in the city. Darius worries that his grandfather will fall from the roof, and Sohrab tries to reassure him. 

Babou comes down from the roof and somewhat formally greets Darius. To Darius’s embarrassment, he also says that Darius should make friends with Sohrab. After a brief conversation with Babou in Farsi, Sohrab invites Darius to come with him to his uncle’s store. As the boys walk through Yazd, Darius takes in his surroundings: “The Yazd in Mom’s old photos gave me a holodeck vision of it: crisp and static and perfect. The real Yazd was messy and bustling and noisy” (94). Sohrab asks Darius a few questions about his impressions of Iran so far, but also seems happy to walk in silence, which Darius appreciates.

When Sohrab greets his uncle and introduces him to Darius, Darius realizes they’re Bahá'í. Sohrab explains that they’re come to pick up a jar of pomegranate molasses for Darius’s grandmother, and his uncle shows them his favorite brand. He also offers Darius an Iranian dessert called faludeh, but Darius turns the offer down when Sohrab explains that he can't have any because his family is fasting until Nowruz.

On the walk back, the boys chat about their families, and Sohrab invites Darius to play soccer with him the following afternoon. To his own surprise, Darius agrees. When Darius gets home, everyone but Babou is still asleep. The pair have tea together in silence: “Babou seemed content not to talk, and I had no idea what to say to him” (98). Darius then returns to bed and sleeps until dinner, during which he struggles to stay awake before being excused by Mamou.

When Darius gets up the next day, Mamou, his parents, and his sister have gone into town. As he’s taking his medication in the kitchen, Babou comes in and asks what the pills are for, expressing skepticism when Darius explains. When Sohrab arrives, the boys walk to a nearby park. Sohrab has brought extra gear for Darius and, as they change in the bathroom, insists that Darius wear his newer pair of cleats. Once out on the field, Sohrab introduces Darius to the two boys they’ll be playing against: Ali-Reza and Hossein.

Darius was a decent soccer player until he was first put on antidepressants, and to his surprise, he does well during the game: While Sohrab scores a number of goals, Darius largely manages to prevent Ali-Reza from scoring, at one point “execut[ing] a perfect sliding tackle” (109). This provokes an argument between Sohrab and Ali-Reza, which Darius asks Sohrab about after the game is over. Sohrab explains that Ali-Reza is prejudiced against Bahá'ís. Sensing that Sohrab is upset, Darius tells him that Ali-Reza is just jealous because Sohrab is a better player; Sohrab smiles and returns the compliment.

When Darius realizes the other boys intend to shower in the public bathroom, he becomes nervous and tries to leave, but gives in when he realizes Sohrab brought extra towels for him. To his dismay, he then realizes that there are no shower stalls, although this doesn’t seem to embarrass the other boys.

Darius is already on the verge of an anxiety attack when he notices that the other boys are talking quietly amongst themselves in Farsi. Eventually, in response to a question from Sohrab, Darius is forced to explain that he’s not circumcised (as is common practice in Iran). He is further humiliated when Ali-Reza remarks, “It looks like the Ayatollah’s turban” (115), and then devastated when Sohrab joins in the joking and laughter. Darius hurries to finish showering and dressing and leaves.   

Darius cries while walking back to his grandparents’ house. When he goes inside, Babou asks him how the game went and chastises him for not inviting Sohrab to dinner. Darius protests that the other boys don’t like him and excuses himself to finish showering; Babou, who has noticed his grandson crying, tells him not to worry.

Darius gets in bed after cleaning up but cannot sleep: “I was so sure Sohrab was like me. That he knew what it was like to be different. […] But Sohrab Rezaei was just another Soulless Minion of Orthodoxy” (121). After a while, Mamou comes in to check on him, followed by his father. Darius says that he doesn’t want tea, but his father is insistent. He praises Darius for making a friend and playing soccer, and Darius, not knowing what to say, agrees to get up.