Anita Amirrezvani captures Persia in the 1600s, a time of poverty for many, oppressive conditions for women, and polygamy, when men could issued contracts for paid concubines. Such is the environment that our young (unnamed) narrator in her early teens must survive after her father's untimely death. She is a talented artist, designing the prized carpets made of silk and wool that only the wealthy could buy. When her father dies, they lose their source of income, so she and her mother must move to a larger city where her uncle and aunt take them in. Her uncle Gostaham is a designer of carpets for the Shah, and she beomes an apprentice to him and helps earn her and her mother's keep by weaving commissioned rugs. But that is not enough to support her and her mother, and she catches the eye of a businessman Fereydoon, who issues her a contract ('sigheh') to be his concubine. Her best friend Naheed comes from a wealthy family and has her eye on a 'lower-class' young man, but Naheed's parents arrange a marriage for business purposes to Fereydoon and Naheed is distraught. When our narrator learns of this, she does not tell Naheed about her arrangement, but ultimately decides to not renew her contract with Fereydoon when he offers it. This decision is met with disdain by her entire family, because women aren't supposed to make their own decisions about such things, especially one so young. She and her mother are driven out of her uncle's house, so they live in poverty and are reduced to begging until our narrator finds the strength and courage to finally become an artist in her own right and is able to support her family again. Life did not turn out quite the way she planned, but she is grateful for the gifts of her talent and perseverance.

This novel takes you breathlessly through the trials and victories of our narrator (I wish she had a name!) as she learns to survive in this mysterious land and time. The Iranian-born author spent 9 years doing research, and it shows. One only wishes that there was a way to see the beautiful carpets that were described so exquisitely throughout the book.