The egwugwu are upset with Enoch as he tries to unmask one of them during a ceremony. To get back at him they burn down his territory and the church of which Enoch attends, Mr. Smiths church.
Okonkwo and other villagers are on the look out and armed with machetes. The commissioner wants to speak to the leaders of Umofia about the church getting burned down. Soldiers surprisingly attack the the people of Umuofia and lock them up in jail and threaten to hang their leaders if a price of cowries isn’t payed. Then the village of Umuofia scrambles to collect the cowries.
The men who were put in prison returned to their village all beaten up and upset. Ezinma and Obierika see all the cuts and burns on Okonkwo after he’s been beaten and whipped.
The village joins together for another meeting. They discuss about the destruction that the white people have done to their village. When they are having their meeting, messengers come in and one tries to speak. As soon as he opens his mouth, Okonkwo kills him with his machete. People at the meeting question what Okonkwo has just done.
The District Commissioner goes to Okonkwo’s territory and asks a group of men for Okonkwo. They tell him that he’s not home and the commissioner gets upset. He goes and asks Obierika where he is at and he gets the same response.
Obierika leads the commissioner down a path to find Okonkwo. They find Okonkwo hanging from a tree, taking his life. Obierika asks for help to take Okonkwo down and bury him, as a clansman he is not aloud to do so. Obierika then lashes out on the man and starts blaming him for his death.