In the Islamic Cordoba of the year 842, the fourteen-year-old Alya masters the languages of all the surrounding countries. When the emir hears about this, Alya's gift turns out to be not only a blessing, but also a curse. Very much against her father's will, the emir sends Alya as an interpreter with a delegation to Christian Navarre. This becomes the start of a harsh and life-threatening journey that takes Alya across ninth-century Europe...

Alya is the first part of the Alya diptych, of which both parts can also be read independently. Part two, 'Alya's Choice', begins with a comprehensive summary of part one.