Grown up Benjamin recounts the tragic events of his childhood, growing up in Nigeria with his three older brothers -- Ikenna, Boja, and Obembe. The boys were close to one another, constantly in each other's association. When their dad leaves for an extended business trip, they take advantage of their mother's business to take up the hobby of fishing secretly. She wouldn't approve, so they hide their gear before returning home.
One day they run into the town crazy by the river. His name is Abulu. He yells at the boys for a while before saying something that actually makes sense. He tells Ikenna that he will become mute, blind, crippled, and eventually die by the hand of a fisherman. Unable to forget the prophecy, Ikenna broods on it privately for sometime before concluding that one of his brothers may be the foretold fisherman. He immediately becomes paranoid, losing his appetite, growing hostile, and retreating into his internal world.
This incident sparks a series of events which in turn bring about the prophecy's fulfillment. Ikenna gradually turns on his brothers and begins to undermine his family's stability. The parents have no idea what's going on and remain helpless to stop Ikenna's paranoid rage. In the end, he abuses his brothers mercilessly. The entire time, however, he remains conflicted by the love which he has for them and his own fear of death. He cannot persuade himself to disbelieve that they might kill him.
