This novel tells the story of a family's life during the conflicts in which Lebanon was immersed in the 20th century. The protagonist is Ossayne, a descendant of a Turkish prince, who had to emigrate from Anatolia to Mount Lebanon with his family after the outbreak of World War I and the mass murder of Armenians. He studied in France, where he lived during the Second World War. There he meets Clara, a member of a Jewish family, who lost everything in the Nazi persecution. They get married, have a daughter named Nadia and go to live in Lebanon. However, in the midst of the Arab-Israeli conflict they must separate. As a result of his family's remoteness, Ossayne falls into madness and must be placed in an asylum.
The book is simple and realistic. It also underlines positive values such as the friendship of very different people, modesty, love between spouses - despite differences of race and religion - as well as the effort to understand others.