The Tiger's Wife, whose true name is never known, is a deaf-mute Muslim girl from the rural town of Galina, where Natalia's grandfather grew up. On the later occasions, the Deathless Man explains more about his background (he has been condemned to live eternally by his uncle) and reveals that his ideas about death and knowledge have evolved (he comes to believe that it is best never to tell people that they are going to die, so that they do not panic). However, Gavo declines to take the pledged item. During the first of these meetings, the Deathless Man makes a bet against Natalia's grandfather, who doubts that Gavran, or 'Gavo,” is immortal: Natalia's grandfather pledges his prized copy of Kipling's The Jungle Book against Gavo, and loses the bet when Gavo survives a long time underwater.

The Deathless Man, Gavran Gaile, met Natalia's grandfather on three separate occasions: in a town suffering from a public sickness, at a pilgrimage site, and in the town of Sarobor during a state of siege. She also relays a large amount of information about her grandfather and about two mysterious figures that shaped his life, the Deathless Man and the Tiger's Wife. However, large portions of the narrative are structured as memories of Natalia's childhood and adolescence, which were shaped by the chaos and warfare that her generation as a whole encountered. She encounters a group of relatives, who are trying to locate the remains of a long-buried cousin and whose children are unwell she also travels to a small town, Zdrevkov, to retrieve her deceased grandfather's belongings. New tasks and conflicts arise during Natalia's time in Brejevina. Nonetheless, she continues on to the home of her hosts, Barba Ivan and his wife Nada. During the trip, Natalia learns of her grandfather's death. From there, the novel shifts closer to the present day: the adult Natalia and a friend of hers, Zora, are on their way to the town of Brejevina, where they will administer medicine to the orphans in a local monastery. Obreht's novel begins with a memory of Natalia and her grandfather visiting the city zoo to see the tigers-a routine of theirs in Natalia's childhood.

The Tiger's Wife depicts the relationship between Natalia, a young medical professional living in a country in the Balkans, and her grandfather, a celebrated doctor who has recently passed away.

The Tiger's Wife by Téa Obreht