Leyla, Shabaneh, and Roja have become friends in college and, even though their lives have gone different ways and each character is dealing with her own issues in life, they have formed a strong bond and continue to be important parts of one another's lives. To tell their stories, the book presents two sections, "Summer" and "Fall." Each season is divided into three chapters and each chapter is narrated from the point of view of one of the women, giving us a more intimate and diversified access into their lives. The "Summer" section takes place in only a few hours in one specific day of their lives, and the "Fall" section three months later in three nonconsecutive days.

Despite their differences, these women all "find themselves at intersections of life, struggling to look for a way out of the past and the future, a way towards being able to live happily again or else put their dreams away and come to terms with the realities of life"