Aboulela decided to write a novel based on the life of her uncle, a poet in the 1940s who was bedridden for 20 years.

Aboulela states that by writing a book set in Sudan, she wanted to dispel "stereotypical images of famine and war" so often associated with the country.

[2] In 1950s Sudan, beautiful student Soraya can barely wait to marry her handsome and intelligent cousin Nur.

Nur has dreams of being a poet, but his father, wealthy businessman Mahmoud Abuzeid, is completely opposed to this.

He wants Nur to go to an English university in the United Kingdom and take over the family business, as Mahmoud's oldest son Nasir is lazy and a spendthrift.