The novel takes place in an unnamed South African city, five years after the first elections to occur after Apartheid. Toloki, an itinerant professional mourner, contemplates the various forms of violence plaguing the shantytowns in which he works.
Set in an unnamed South African city that has been five years since the first post-Apartheid elections, Toloki, a traveling professional mourner, considers various forms of violence present in the slums where he operates.