Eventually, Piper finds a way to unlock the door. She gives Mahree food her host family had bought her. She continues to be scared about living in a house with black people. Upset by this, Piper tells Mahree how disappointed she is in her. Stunned by this, Mahree sees how rude she's been, and agrees to stay and try to make this work. During Mahree's stay, she and the Dellums grow closer together. Mahree sees people of different races getting along. She then realizes how much she and Piper have in common. They become friends. She then develops a better understanding of what life under South African apartheid must be like for people of color.