This novel portrays life in Damascus in the 1920s. Sabriya has three brothers -- Raghib, a corrupt bully, Mahmud, amiable but feckless, and Sami, an idealist who joins the resistance against the French colonial regime. Central to the story is Sabriya's journey to self-knowledge, intertwined with the rise and eclipse of national and feminist awareness during her painful life. The national revolt is crushed by superior foreign power and Sabriya's personal emancipation is stifled by the traditional values of a patriarchal society. Written from the point of view of a young girl passionately committed to the nationalist cause, but, because of her sex, unable to be an active participant.

"Syria"--Cover. "Originally published in Arabic in Damascus under the title Dimashq Ya Basmat al Huzn, 1980."--T.p. verso.