Over the course of many anxious days, Raza, Bilquis, and Omar flee to Q. and then to Nishapur. There, they ascend in the dumbwaiter and are met by Omar’s three mothers. Since all the servants are gone, Omar is told to serve tea. He fetches the expensive old tea set and serves cake on his mothers’ behalf. As his mothers talk, Omar realizes that they are still preoccupied with the death of his brother. They know that Babar was killed on Raza’s orders, and they believe that Omar has brought Raza to them for the purpose of revenge. During the visit, Omar, Raza, and Bilquis all contract malaria and sink into deep, dangerous fevers. While Omar lies in bed, his mothers visit him and claim that he has treated his brother’s memory with disrespect by befriending Raza: the man who murdered his brother.

Raza recovers from his fever and wakes up alone in a bed smeared with urine and feces. Searching for Bilquis, he discovers that she has died in her own bed. Shortly after, the three mothers confront Raza and tell him that he will die for killing their son.