Dream Count

Dream Count is a work of literary fiction by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Originally published by Alfred A. Knopf, the novel explores the intersecting lives of four women: Chiamaka, Zikora, Kadiatou, and Omelogor. The novel is set during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown and is written from both the first- and third-person points of view. Taking inspiration from the four protagonists’ isolated circumstances, Dream Count explores themes including The Pursuit of Lasting Happiness, The Impact of Love and Relationships on Personal Development, and The Intersection of Personal Desire and Social Expectations.

This guide refers to the 2025 Alfred A. Knopf hardback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: Both the source text and guide discuss cursing, sexual content, sexual violence, rape, drugs, the death of a child, illness, racism, antisemitism, pregnancy loss, pregnancy termination, female genital mutilation, and death.

Plot Summary

The novel is organized into five sections, each of which is written from a distinct point of view and traces the respective lives of the main characters, Chiamaka (Chia), Zikora, Kadiatou (Kadi), and Omelogor. The women’s intersecting storylines subvert traditional notions of novelistic form while conveying the main characters’ experiences. While the following plot summary follows the same structural principles as the novel, it employs a more linear plot line for the sake of clarity.

In the opening section, “Chiamaka,” Chia is trying to adjust to the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic. She is living in her house in Maryland by herself. Her parents and twin brothers are still living in Nigeria (where Chia was born and raised). She keeps in touch with her family over Zoom, but these calls always leave her feeling lonelier. In the meantime, Chia also communicates with her cousin and close friend Omelogor (who also recently moved back to Nigeria from America) and her best friend, Zikora (who is pregnant and living in Washington, DC). Chia sometimes checks in with her childhood housekeeper Kadiatou and her daughter, Binta, too.

While Chia is grateful that she has friends, family, and loved ones to talk to, she can’t quell her simultaneous restlessness and lethargy. She often spends her days lying on her bed and reflecting on her life. The more time she spends alone, the more meaningless everything seems to her. Then when her friend LaShawn informs her that her mom died from COVID, Chia starts to wonder if she has wasted her life.

Chia’s account drifts into the past as Chia begins to reflect on her past experiences and relationships. For as long as Chia can remember, she has wanted to fall in love and get married. However, she doesn’t just want a husband or a family; she wants an all-encompassing romance with someone who truly sees and understands her. She remembers when she dated Darnell and how much she changed herself to please him. She remembers when she dated Chuka and how disappointed he was when she realized he wasn’t who she wanted. She remembers dating the Englishman, too. Overwhelmed by melancholy, Chia isn’t sure what any of these experiences mean for her life.

In the second section, “Zikora,” Zikora goes into labor with her child two weeks early. When Zikora got pregnant and told her partner, Kwame, Kwame fled her house and stopped responding to her calls. She has not heard from him since. Zikora’s mother comes into town from Nigeria and stays with her while she is in labor. Zikora is in excruciating physical pain and knows her howling is embarrassing her mother. However, she doesn’t tame her unrest to please her mom.

Throughout her labor, Zikora’s mind is consumed by memories of Kwame. For years, she longed to fall in love, get married, and have children. When Kwame finally came into her life she was surprised and elated. In the present, she is unsure what she did to push him away and hopes that he’ll resurface after she gives birth.

Zikora gives birth to a healthy baby boy. She repeatedly texts and calls Kwame with the news, but he blocks her number. She tries to dismiss her unrest. While she is recovering, she and her mom start talking about their experiences and their pasts. Zikora’s mom opens up about her marriage in new ways. When Zikora finally returns home, she tells her mom how much she’ll miss her when she returns to Nigeria.

In the third section, “Kadiatou,” Kadi reflects on her childhood in Nigeria. She grew up in a small village with her parents and sister Binta. Compared to Binta, Kadi was reserved and cautious. She started imitating Binta after their father died and they came under their uncle’s care. Over time however, Binta surpassed Kadi, going off to school and pursuing a different life. However, just before Binta was supposed to marry, she fell ill, had an operation, and died during the surgery. Shortly thereafter, Kadi’s uncle married her off to a man named Saidou. Saidou and she had a son, who died as an infant. She got pregnant again, but Saidou died before she gave birth. Terrified and alone, Kadi fled to her aunt’s, where she gave birth to a daughter she named Binta.

Sometime thereafter, Kadi’s childhood love, Amadou, returned to Nigeria from America. The two rekindled their relationship and moved to the United States together. Not long later, Amadou was arrested for drug possession and incarcerated. Desperate to maintain stability for Binta, Kadi kept housekeeping at her hotel in DC and doing intermittent housework for Chia and her family (who she’d met sometime prior through her work).

In the narrative present, Kadi is still working at the hotel when she is raped by a guest. She reports the incident and seeks help but her lawyer doubts her story. Overwhelmed by shame, Kadi feels alone.

In the fourth section, “Omelogor,” Omelogor is living in Abuja after leaving the United States. As word of the coronavirus spreads, Omelogor begins reflecting on her life. She remembers the fleeting relationships she had. She remembers the start of her career in finance. She remembers giving up her job to study pornography in graduate school in America. She remembers America letting her down.

Eventually, COVID arrives in Nigeria, and Abuja goes on lockdown. Alone at her house, Omelogor becomes increasingly reflective.

In the fifth section, “Chiamaka,” Chia tries to survive the final weeks of lockdown. She continues keeping in touch with Zikora and Omelogor, both of whom are also following Kadi’s case. Then one day, the three friends discover the prosecution is dropping the charges against Kadi’s attacker. Zikora and Omelogor are horrified. Chia goes to Kadi’s house to tell her and Binta the news. Much to her surprise, the women rejoice instead of despair. Chia ignores Omelogor’s calls and sits with Kadi and Binta, sharing their happiness.