A Stanford grad student conducting research on the relationship between diet and fertility in Keteng notices the arrival of another American, a man named Bruns. Keteng is a remote country near South Africa, where the people are not very used to Americans, and the grad student hears that Bruns is making people feel nervous. However, word soon travels around that Bruns is a very skilled mechanic and can fix anything, leading to the people of Keteng keeping him busy with various requests to fix tractors, trucks, and their other broken belongings. The grad student also hears that Bruns does not respond to the heavy-handed flirtation of Keteng women, which makes people nervous as well.  The grad student thinks to herself that Bruns is naive because he does not understand that culture in Keteng dictates that if you do something wrong, you will be taken to court and punished. Bruns attends one of these hearings and watches someone being beaten. After seeing this violence, Bruns decides to blame the seven prominent families who hold power in Keteng for both enacting and doing nothing about violence. A man named Deon invites Bruns to his home to discuss his accusation, but over lunch, Deon manages to inhale a fly, launching him into a state of terror. To punish Bruns for witnessing this humiliating moment, Deon arranges for someone to catch Bruns that night and beat him. They succeed, and the police finds Bruns beaten up and drowned in the morning. Deon asserts that he is innocent but is ultimately charged with at least five years in jail.