Filmed on the campus of the Beirut College for Women, it depicts the progress made by Christian missionary education in the Near East.
Najla immediately feels out of place when she arrives at the Beirut College for Women and witnesses the lack of formality, the democratic milieu of a student body composed of girls from all religions and nationalities, the easy camaraderie between girls and boys, and the outgoing personality of her roommate, a Lebanese Christian orphan named Suad who has been raised by her grandmother.
Najla feels she is unable to relate to others' suffering because of her privileged family background, but Suad encourages her that God wants her to help others.
[2] The Division of Audio Visual Education of the Board of Foreign Missions of the Presbyterian Church of the United States of America assisted in the production.
[3] The script focuses on the activities of a Christian college in the Near East—the Beirut College for Women—and its introduction of "modern democratic ways of thinking and living" to a student body composed of girls from all religions, nationalities, and economic circumstances, including Christians, Jews, and Muslims.
[1][4][5] The main character is a Muslim girl for whom the democratic milieu of the college is a stark departure from her own upbringing, though over time she learns to embrace it.