The chapter opens with a recollection of Unoka’s doomed visit to the Oracle of the Hills and Caves, Agbala. Unoka kneels before the priestess Chika, explaining his ritual sacrifices, but she rebukes him, declaring his weakness and urging him to work. Unoka later dies of a swelling disease, is abandoned in the Evil Forest, and is left to rot, taking his flute with him. Okonkwo, deprived of a barn, title, or wife, resolves to build his own future. He approaches the wealthy villager Nwakibie, who owns three barns, nine wives, thirty children, and the second‑highest title in Umuofia. Okonkwo brings palm‑wine, a cock, and kola nuts to Nwakibie’s obi, where a formal greeting and communal drinking take place. Nwakibie’s first wife Anasi, distinguished by her anklet of titles, receives the horn and drinks before the other wives. The men discuss the palm‑wine tapper Obiako’s strange behavior and share jokes. After the ritual, Okonkwo petitions Nwakibie for yam seed. Nwakibie, impressed by Okonkwo’s determination, grants him twice four hundred (800) seed yams, encouraging him to prepare his farm. Okonkwo returns home hopeful, aware he must support his mother and sisters. The year he plants the seed yams turns disastrous: early rains are brief, followed by intense heat that scorches the seedlings; despite protective sisal rings, the yams die. A prolonged drought lasts eight market weeks, after which violent rains flood the fields, washing away yam heaps. Without sunshine, the tubers rot, leading to a mournful harvest; a farmer even hangs himself. Okonkwo survives, recalling his father’s counsel not to despair and vowing to endure any hardship. The chapter ends with Unoka’s last words about Okonkwo’s proud heart.