[1] The novel is set in Beirut before and during the Lebanese Civil War, and tells the story of a woman named Zahra, whose struggles with her family and country lead to her suffering and eventual death.

The novel is split into two sections; the first takes place before the start of the Lebanese Civil War, and the second part whilst it is ongoing.

She is mistreated and abused by her family; her mother forces her to accompany her when she has sex with other men in hotels, and her father beats and whips her.

To escape the abuse she suffers in Lebanon as well as the shame brought on her by her abortions, Zahra then flees to an unnamed African country, where she lives with her uncle Hashim.

Zahra thus marries another Lebanese man living in Africa, Majed, to escape the harassment of her uncle's home.