A heartbreaking tale of impossible love in late-twentieth century Egypt. Cairo, 1980s. Tarek´s whole life is laid out for him. A doctor like his father, he has taken over the family medical practice, married his childhood sweetheart and is well respected in society. When he opens a clinic in a disadvantaged area of the city, he meets Ali, a young man who is free from the societal pressures that govern Tarek´s life. This chance encounter will change everything, throwing Tarek´s marriage, career and his entire existence into question. From bustling Cairo to the harsh winters of Montréeacute;al, from the reign of Nasser to the dawn of a new century, Tarek wanders and reminisces. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, someone is compiling the chapters of his story . . .