Iz is a White, Jewish grandfather to Emanuel, a little Black boy. When a woman walks by, inquiring about who the boy is, obviously doubting that he could be related to Iz, he starts off telling her the whole story about how Emanuel came to be. Part of her reasoning is that Iz has evinced racist tendencies in the past, purposefully choosing to serve Black people last at the pharmacy he owned in New York, so as to make them feel unwelcome and keep them from moving into the area. One of Iz's children, Cissy, was in a mental institution on account of the mental disorders she had been dealing with: depression, among other things. When he and his wife were visiting one day, they immediately noticed Cissy was obviously pregnant, something the doctors there had failed to observe. Cissy had been with one of the workers at the hospital, a Black gardener, and took interest in him because since she was a child she was always fascinated by growing things in the ground. Months later, she birthed Emanuel, and though Iz initially wanted to give him up for adoption, they decided, after all, to keep him and raise him. As Emanuel grew, Iz learned to care for him and love him as a child of his own, despite the prejudice he previously held against Black people. Raising him, Iz noticed the prejudice others held against him too, receiving stares and raised eyebrows constantly. Now, Iz cherishes Emanuel and plans to teach him all about the life he created in New York.