The story is narrated by a nine-year-old girl, the American-born daughter of Nigerian immigrants living in the United States.

She and her parents spend the day waiting in a U.S. immigration office in New Orleans, where her parents are trying to secure their green cards.

While her parents are tense and worried, the narrator mostly feels bored and distracted, watching the people around her and the news on the television.

She reflects on the colour green, linking it to different memories, objects, and feelings — some playful and childish, others more serious.

Through her observations, we gradually understand that her parents live with constant uncertainty because they do not yet have permanent legal status.

The narrator recalls earlier moments she didn’t fully understand at the time — like her father’s inability to travel to Nigeria when his own father died — highlighting how immigration rules quietly shape their lives.

A contrast grows between the narrator’s secure, American childhood and her parents’ fragile position, caught between their life in the U.S. and their roots in Nigeria.

As the waiting continues, the room becomes a small world of different nationalities, worries, and hopes, all tied together by the immigration process.

When the appointment finally goes well, her parents feel clear relief, although the narrator only partly grasps the importance of the moment.