Salma, an Arab from a Levantine village in Lebanon, is courageous and resourceful as she copes with personal loss and exile from her home. She builds herself a new life in a provincial English city but, despite her many achievements, she cannot let go of her past. The author captures the dreariness and loneliness of her new life and contrasts this with the beauty and love that Salma experienced in her home village. Be prepared for a shock ending!
