Following the Soviet invasion, Rahimi fled Afghanistan, taking refuge in Pakistan for a year and then relocating to France in 1985[1] after receiving political asylum.

A movie based on this book, directed by Rahimi, was awarded the Prix du Regard vers l'Avenir at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival.

Rahimi's fourth book and his first in French, the novel tells the story of a woman whose husband has been wounded in battle in a country resembling Afghanistan and now lies as paralysed as a stone.

Rahimi created and developed Tolo TV's "Raz ha een Khana" (Secrets of this House), Afghanistan's first soap opera.

The film, starring Iranian actress Golshifteh Farahani, was selected as the Afghan entry for the Best Foreign Language Oscar at the 85th Academy Awards, but was not nominated.