Eshetu describes his family tree, his village, and the local history. Malaria was prevalent in the area he lived in during the fall and winter months, and it claimed many lives. The Ministry of Health would sometimes spray the area against mosquitoes in an attempt to eradicate the disease.

His parents divorced when he was nine years old. Eshetu continued to live with his father. He explains that, during the regime of Emperor Haile Selassie, his Jewish family was not allowed to own agricultural land.

As a child, Eshetu herded sheep and cattle. He talks about his experiences as a shepherd, such as meeting Christian and Muslim shepherds and searching for stolen sheep. He also talks about various cases of divine protection and intervention that happened to him and to a relative of his who was the regional Kes.

When he was 12, Eshetu’s father died suddenly. He moved to live with his mother and older brother in the village of Belbela Georgis. When he arrived at the new village, his mother informed him that his two younger sisters had died of an illness. To support the family, they rented a plot of land and worked it, Eshetu herded sheep and cattle and worked in blacksmithing jobs. He talks about the racist attitudes of his Christian neighbors and about the suspicious beliefs they held about him as a Jew. He also describes the blood feuds and disputes between the residents of the village. He explains the structure of the legal system, which included a mediator, judge, and district judge.

Following one dispute in the village, Eshetu and his family had to leave. They went to live with his uncle in Sarmella. Two years later, a member of the family was robbed and murdered. His family once again found themselves embroiled in a blood feud. Eshetu and his family looked for an excuse to leave the village and escape the feud. When government representatives arrived to vaccinate the cattle, the family objected, claiming that making a hole in the cow’s ear (to mark it as vaccinated) renders its meat unkosher. This incident forced Eshetu and his family to leave the village and thus they were saved.

They moved to May-Mariam. His older brother went to Sudan and from there to Israel. Eshetu became his family’s sole breadwinner. At that time, his mother remarried. Both his mother and his sister gave birth there. The Derg regime overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie and took control of the country.

It was hard to make a living. Eshetu’s cattle herd dwindled. He had to work as a hired farmer. His mother and sister made and sold clay vessels to bring in some extra income.

One day, on his way to the market, Eshetu got into a fight with an enemy of the family, who threatened him with a gun. Eshetu relates the details of the event and how it ended.

Three years later, the 21-year old Eshetu was sent to earn money in Egomgofa where he was employed as a field hand by a Jewish family. However, the drought that inflicted the area forced Eshetu to move and work as a cotton picker in another area. He bought a calf as an investment with the money he had earned and went back to working on the Jewish family’s lands, which yielded a large crop after the drought ended.

One day, Eshetu received a letter from his uncle inviting him to visit in Addis Ababa. He accepted the invitation. From Addis Ababa, he went to visit the village where his father was buried, and he decided to stay there. A short time later, he married and received his own land from the government. Eshetu became established in the area and was even appointed as a mediator. His role was to find people and to force them to pay governmental taxes. He talks about his experiences in this position.

Eshetu and his family eventually immigrated to Israel via Addis Ababa.