The owner of a gemstone business who becomes housebound after a stroke, leaving his wife, Aadam’s mother, to tend to his professional affairs. Aadam returns to Kashmir after medical school to find his father permanently afflicted by his stroke, and his mental status gradually worsens until he spends most of his time making bird sounds, calling in several types of birds on a daily basis. Aadam’s father falls ill and dies early in the story, followed soon by his wife.