The story begins during the morning assembly at Stardom Schools in Lekki. The principal, Mr. Adewale Bepo, walks onto the podium, but his movement looks strange, and the students immediately notice. When he collects the microphone from the chapel prefect, everyone expects him to speak as usual. Instead, to everyone’s surprise, he bursts into tears and cannot say a single word.

The Vice Principal, Mrs. Grace Apeh, quickly comes forward to take control of the situation. She asks him what is wrong, but he gives no reply and keeps crying. She then asks the Chemistry teacher, Mr. Justus Anabel, to dismiss the assembly while the students whisper in confusion about what just happened.

After the assembly, the vice principal, the school nurse, and some staff members lead Mr. Bepo to his office. There, he continues crying uncontrollably for more than 30 minutes. Soon, rumours about the incident begin to spread among parents, and the vice principal starts receiving calls from them. Worried, she informs the Managing Director (MD), Mrs. Ibidun Gloss, who is away at an event.

Earlier that morning, the school had seemed normal. Boarding fees had just been reduced, which encouraged many students to arrive early. The assembly had gone well: the students sang the second stanza of the national anthem, and a student, Ikenna Egbu, gave a lively speech about his excursion to Jos. Everyone expected Mr. Bepo, who was usually cheerful and known for his humour, to praise Ikenna. But instead, his shocking tears left the entire school confused.

When the MD arrives at 9:30 a.m., she is very surprised by the situation. Just the day before, the school had celebrated a 90% success in WAEC results, rewarding teachers with cash prizes and gifts. Now, their beloved principal is weeping uncontrollably. The MD calls in Mr. Ope Wande, the Physics teacher and a pastor, to talk to him. But after several minutes, he also fails to get any explanation.

They try to reach Mr. Bepo’s wife through an international phone number, but the call does not connect. The MD thinks of sending him home to rest, but Pastor Wande insists he should not be left alone in that condition. To protect both the principal and the school’s reputation, the MD decides that Mr. Bepo should be escorted home by the school’s guidance counsellor.