When Christabel runs across her cousin Charles while vacationing in Damascus, he mentions their ancient Great Aunt Harriet, who lives cloistered in Dar Ibrahim, a palace atop a hill in Lebanon's Adonis Valley. On a whim, she decides to meet this legendary relative of hers, a Grand Dame replete with young male retinue and secret seraglio. Though her family has told of her aunt's many eccentricities, Christabel is unprepared for what lurks behind Dar Ibrahim's walls.