An Israeli soldier kidnapped by terrorists ends up in an Arab village. At the house of his overseer, he meets his thirteen-year-old daughter. They fall in love and, not knowing each other's language, find an opportunity for communication through Shakespeare's writings.

Variations 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 can be read as stand-alone stories. Still, for a complete understanding of the novel's philosophy—the connecting thread that runs through the entire book, the interweaving of characters and their situations—it's better to read the Variations in numbered sequence.