Setting his novel during World War II, Chraïbi opens the door on the protected and well-to- do world of an Arab woman whose role in society is restricted to that of wife and mother. At the urging of her two sons, she seeks knowledge of the larger world with all its political, economic, and social realities. Soon, she begins to develop and express her own opinions about the ongoing World War II and the domination and seclusion of women; and ultimately, she becomes an educator and activist, journeying to new intellectual and emotional realms. Published in French in 1972.