It is Friday in late November 1973. Marnus Erasmus just celebrated his 11th birthday. He received a tabletop racing car set, which he loves. His father, the boy tells us, is a much respected and very powerful figure in the South African army. Marnus recalls the night in the spring when Marnus’s parents dressed up for a fancy dinner honoring his father, who had just become the youngest South African ever promoted to the rank of major general. His mother is a classically trained opera singer who walked away from a promising musical career to assume the responsibilities of wife and then mother. She still maintains her interest in music, giving piano and voice lessons to neighborhood children. Sometimes, when his father is not home, Marnus hears his mother singing alone at the piano or in the bathroom.

Marnus talks about his best (and perhaps only) friend, Frikkie Delport. Frikkie struggles in the classroom, but he is physically commanding, stronger than most of his classmates, and he has a reputation for being a bully and a merciless tease to kids intimidated by his size. Frikkie’s father is a banker and an investment advisor; his mother runs a clothes shop.