Rahel returns to Ayemenem to see Estha, her twin brother. They were introduced as a “rare breed of Siamese twins” for when they were able to know the thoughts of the other without speaking when they were young. Flashbacks about their parents and how they separated were also mentioned.
Then, the narrative moves to Sophie Mol’s funeral. She was the twins’ cousin. The narrator also tells about the point where Ammu, their mother, reported to the police the mistake they made. Weeks after that, Estha was brought to his father.
The adult lives of the twins were briefly mentioned before their return to Ayemenem. Baby Kochamma’s background was also stated. She is the grandaunt of the twins. Rahel reminisces on the events resulting to Sophie mol’s death.
Chapter 2- Pappachi’s Moth
In the town of Cochin, the twins, Ammu, Baby Kochamma, and Chacko (Ammu’s elder brother, Margaret’s husband) were about to pick up Sophie Mol and Margaret Kochamma. Then, they decided to watch The Sound of Music but they were setback by a rally by the Marxists. Rahel sees Velutha, her friend, who apparently is an “Untouchable.” She greets him but Ammu slaps her angrily.
Flashbacks, again, were presented. They were about Velutha’s relationship with the family, how the twins loved him like a father.
Baby Kochamma is made to wave a Communist flag. Rahel claims that she did not see Velutha afterall. Then, they drive away. Chacko says that Ammu and the twins are burdens to him.
Chapter 3- Big Man the Laltain, Small Man the Mombatti
In the present, it is shown how Baby Kochamma and Kochu Maria, a servant, paid no attention to the Ayemenen house. Estha comes home, undresses and washes his clothes, as Rahel watches.
Chapter 4- Abhilash Talkies
The family arrives at the cinema. Estha sings along to the movie and Ammu gets irritated so she sends him out. Here, Estha was molested by the Orangedrink Lemondrink man when he forced the child to masturbate him. Also in this chapter, we see tension between Rahel and Ammu when the latter tells her she loves her less.
In the hotel where the family stayed, a look into Chacko’s thoughts about his child, Sophie Mol, and the communist groups were stated. Rahel and Estha sleep beside each other, with their hands together, dreaming about their dream house.
Chapter 5- God's Own Country
This chapter takes place in the present where the narrator describes the dirtiness of the river. Through the years, it has been bathed in, swam on, and defecated. Also, this chapter mentions how the old “History House,” a former home of an Englishman who had Indian customs, transformed into a hotel.
Comrade Pillai, the leader of the Communist party, bumps into Rahel and remembers his son named Lenin.
Chapter 6- Cochin Kangaroos
On the day the family went to the airport, Ammu and Baby Kochamma, wearing new dresses, prepare for the arrival of Sophie and Margaret. Estha and Rahel do not greet the visitors properly as what they were told to do, so Ammu scolds them. Nonetheless, Sophie Mol and the twins still get acquainted.
Chapter 7- Wisdom Exercise Notebooks
The story goes back o the present. Rahel finds her and Estha’s old notebooks. She was amused by how Estha wrote about gruesome topics and his childish mistakes.
Also, Rahel remembers the events before her mother’s death, which happened on a job interview, including her last visit to Ayemenem.
Chapter 8- Welcome Home, Our Sophie Mol
Mammachi is introduced. She is the grandmother of the twins and the mother of Chacko and Ammu. She loathed Margaret Kochamma and called her just another whore.
Sophie Mol was welcomed to the house with a cake. Rahel ignores the cake and instead, plays with Velutha. Here, Ammu gets attracted to Velutha.
Chapter 9- Mrs. Pillai, Mrs. Eapen, Mrs. Rajagopalan
Rahel remembers when she, Estha, and Sophie Mol visited Velutha. This moment made the three close friends. Then, Rahel wanders in the abandoned pickle factory.
Chapter 10- The River in the Boat
Estha is in the pickle factory while everyone eles is celebrating Sophie Mol’s arrival. Rahel barges in, and they pick up things to take to the “History House.” They found a boat to go there, but it sank when they were trying to launch it. The twins go to Velutha’s hut and ask for help. Velutha warns them about the dangers of boating in the river.
Velutha brings the twins home. He sees Ammu and tries to control his feelings for her.
Chapter 11- The God of Small Things
Ammu dreams of a one-armed man making love with her. The twins carefully wake her up for they thought she was having a nightmare. Ammu wakes up and realizes she had dreamed of Velutha, who was referred to as the God of Small Things.
The story goes back to the present where rahel thinks about the destruction of their family as she watches Estha bathe.
Chapter 12- Kochu Thomban
Rahel goes to Kochu Thomban, the sleeping elephant and watches the kathkali dancers. She was fascinated by these, and senses Estha’s arrival. Although the twins sit separately, they both think about their own family.
Chapter 13- The Pessimist and the Optimist
This chapter recalls the story of the marriage of Sophie Mol’s parents and why things did not work out. Margaret was attracted by Chacko’s confidence while the latter was attracted by Margaret’s independence. Chacko became careless of his appearance after the wedding and became fat. This resulted to Margaret being tired of her husband’s sloppiness. She meets another man, and the two broke up. Nevertheless, they still became good friends.
Now, the events leading to Sophie Mol’s death are gradually revealed. Vellya Paapen, Velutha’s father, tells Mammachi about Ammu and his son’s affair. He also offers Mammachi that he would kill his own son but Mammachi rejects this and spits at him and pushes him to the ground. Furious, Mammachi and Baby Kochamma, who has always been jealous of Ammu, lock Ammu in her room. The next day, they hear the news that Sophie was found dead in the river.
At the police station, Baby Kochamma lies to the police that Velutha threatened them and tried to force himself on Ammu. The inspector then interviews Comrade Pillai about whether Velutha has any political support and, discovering that he does not, instructs his men to beat Velutha up until he dies.
Chapter 14- Work is Struggle
Chacko visits Comrade Pillai and asks him about Velutha. Comrade Pillai, because of his own ambitions in the Communist Party, tells Chacko in English that Velutha is a Paravan or a perilous member of the Communist party who should be fired.
Velutha comes to see Comrade Pillai, after Mammachi summoned him only to insult and fire him, and Comrade Pillai tells Velutha that he has no support from the party.
Chapter 15- The Crossing
Emotion-filled, Velutha swims across the river toward the “History House.” Again, he is referred to as The God of Small Things.
Chapter 16- A Few Hours Later
The twins were convinced by Sophie Mol to run away to make the adults more upset. The three used a boat to cross the river to go to the History House. But suddenly, the boat tipped over and Sophie Mol was nowhere to be found. The twins reach the shore.
Chapter 17- Cochin Harbor Terminus
The story focuses back to the present where we see Baby Kochamma writing in her diary imaginary love stories about her and Father Mulligan, a love that never happened.
Also, we see Rahel and Estha reminiscing together, quietly sitting on the bed. We learn that Velutha was arrested and was charged with kidnapping and murder. After that, Comrade Pillai led a Communist siege of the pickle factory, saying that Velutha was being persecuted for his party membership.
Chapter 18- The History House
Back to Sophie Mol’s death, the police find Velutha sleeping next to the twins, who just came, at the History House, and they beat him up until he is nearly dead. The police feel good in saving the twins from this man.
Chapter 19- Saving Ammu
Inspector Mathew, who was assigned in this incident, interviews the twins. After this, he sends for Baby Kochamma and tells her about the children’s story.
Afraid to be put to jail, Baby tells Estha to identify Velutha as the one who “kidnapped” them or else, Ammu goes to jail. Fearing that this would happen, Estha obliges and Velutha eventually dies. This leads to Estha being sent to his father, Babu.
Chapter 20- The Madras Mail
This chapter describes the scene when Estha leaves for Calcutta to live with his father. Estha feels guilty of Velutha’s death, and therefore never speaks a word since. Rahel, meanwhile feels sad of her twin’s departure and screams to show her emotion.
The plot shifts to the present where the twins lie on the bed and start to make love.
Chapter 21- The Cost of Living
This chapter returns to the point at which Ammu comes across Velutha at the river. Eventually, she and Velutha make love for the first time.
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