Ahmad grows up attached to the words of his great-great-grandfather. On the day of his father's death, he recalls his grandfather's—almost immortal—words as he recounts his family's centuries-old curse and Ahmad's own inevitable role within it. Suspecting that something is preventing his family from existing, Ahmad struggles to keep them together through decades of famine, loss, and political turmoil in Iran. As the world around him changes, so does Ahmad, each turn in his life surprising the last: from a rebellious youth involved in street fights to a passionate poet, father of two extraordinary daughters, and a politician with a purpose. His story intertwines with the unforgettable tales of others at the heart of the revolution. This is a novel from Iran about the power of words, revolution, love, family, and poetry in the face of time's indifference to human life.