The marauding group of bandits that tore apart the narrator's village, kidnapped her mother and father, and threatened the stability of the family causes the Grandmother to want leave the village.  The group that seems to be funded by the South African government in the hopes of destabilizing the Mozambique government is charged with causing disruption and chaos in all the villages.  With the disappearance of the father and then the mother of the narrator, the Grandmother has little choice but to exert her matriarchal influence and suggest that the family make the trek across Kruger Park to the border.  It is through the grandmother's actions that the family leaves and the story develops.