Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of graphic violence and death.

Sashi receives a reply from Appa, also written in code, about her brothers’ visit to India. He clearly disapproves, but he does not want Sashi to feel responsible. 

The family receives a notification from the army that all mothers must bring their sons to checkpoints; they are seeking militants, especially those who have returned from training in India. Amma reluctantly takes Aran to the checkpoint—he is the only son left at home—and the Sinhalese army takes him, without cause and without warning. In fact, they take every boy from their particular village, 360 in all.

Sashi and Amma mobilize: Appa is gone, so they must take action on their own. They join a group called the Mother’s Front. It is run, in part, by Anjali Premachandran’s mother. She has not lost a son, but she works in solidarity with those who have. The group schedules a large rally to march on the local government offices. Thousands of mothers and sisters show up to reclaim their lost sons and brothers.

When they arrive at the offices, the gates are locked, but the women convince the guards to unlock them; they promise that only a few representative leaders will go inside to talk to the officials.