The novel follows the interactions of the residents of the pension, its Greek mistress Mariana, and her servant.

As each character in turn fights for Zahra's affections or allegiance, tensions and jealousies arise.

In a style reminiscent of Akira Kurosawa's 1950 film Rashomon, the story is retold four times from the perspective of a different resident each time, allowing the reader to understand the intricacies of post-revolutionary Egyptian life.

She is hard working and honest but uneducated, and constantly being pulled by different forces.

Among those pulling her and Egypt are Europeans, Egyptian nationalists (Wafd party), the wealthy upper-class, the Abdel Nasser regime and its followers, and the Muslim Brotherhood.