Beneath My Mother’s Feet

Though her parents urge her to, fourteen-year-old Nazia doesn't want to get married, as it will mean leaving school and her hometown, Karachi, Pakistan. Besides, she barely knows her fiancé, an older cousin. Then, misfortune befalls Nazia's family: her father suffers an injury at his construction job, and Nazia's dowry is stolen. Destitute and desperate, Nazia's mother pulls her out of school so that they can clean houses to support their family. With Nazia's newly degraded status, marriage seems unattainable, and education just an absurd dream.