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The setting of And the Mountains Echoed plays a big part in moving the plot along. It is set in Kabul, Afghanistan during. During this time and in this country, families struggle to get by. It can be difficult for a man to provide for his family, especially when winter comes. This is why Pari is sold to Nabi's bosses, Saboor simply needs the money. Nabi says that it was the worst thing he has ever witnessed, watching Pari and Abdullah be torn away from each other. If the  novel was set in a different country or perhaps in a different time period, Saboor would not have had to sell Pari, and Abdullah would not have lost his beloved little sister.