THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER 'A sweeping saga about the Iranian revolution as it explodes . . . a Doctor Zhivago of Iran' Margaret Atwood _____________________________________ 1950s Tehran. In an alleyway an abandoned baby cries into the night, attracting the attention of the young man who will save her. And so begins the story of Aria, an orphan girl who comes of age on the volatile streets. As Aria grows she is torn between the three women fated to mother her: the harsh wife of the man who rescued her; a wealthy widow, who offers her refuge but cannot offer her love; and the mysterious Mehri, whose secrets will shatter everything Aria thought she knew about herself. And then, just as the political turmoil in the country deepens, Aria falls in love with a boy caught on the wrong side of the revolution . . . _____________________________________ 'Sweeping, cinematic and oh-so-gripping' Sunday Telegraph 'Leaves you simultaneously heartbroken and full of hope' Sunday Times 'Warm-hearted, compelling, hugely enjoyable' Times 'Spellbinding' Mail on Sunday 'Explores the darkness and hope of a city on the brink of revolution . . . Epic. An impressive debut, not easily forgotten' Observer

In Iran, 1953, a driver named Behrouz discovers an abandoned baby in an alleyway. When he adopts her, naming her Aria, he has no idea how profoundly this fiery, blue-eyed orphan will shape his future.

As she grows, Aria is torn between the three women fated to mother her: the wife of Behrouz, who beats her; the wealthy widow Fereshteh, who offers her refuge but cannot offer her love, and the impoverished Mehri, whose secrets will shatter everything Aria thought she knew about her life.

Meanwhile, the winds of change are stirring in Tehran. Rumours are spreading of a passionate religious exile in Paris called Khomeini, who seems to offer a new future for the country. In the midst of this tumult, Aria falls in love with an Armenian boy caught on the wrong side of the revolution. And before long she will be swept up in an uprising which will change the destiny of the land - and its people - forever.