In a piece of literature, the exposition is the part of the story which introduces the important background information, including setting, characters and potential conflicts. In the first few paragraphs of his short story "Marriage Is a Private Affair," Chinua Achebe identifies the three main characters, and that part of the setting is the Nigerian city of Lagos. The characters include Nnaemeka and Nene, a young couple who live in Lagos. Nnaemeka's father is also mentioned in the first paragraph. The conflict involves the impending marriage between the couple. Nene is asking if Nnaemeka has written a letter to his father informing him of their engagement and future wedding. Nnaemeka is hesitant about telling his father about his relationship with Nene because she is not of the same ethnic group as Nnaemeka. While he is from the Ibo tribe, she is Ibibio and the two tribes have rarely mixed in the past. Nnaemeka's hesitation is warranted as his father vociferously disapproves of the marriage and basically disowns his son.