Roya is a dreamy, idealistic teenager living in 1953 Tehran who, amidst the political upheaval of the time, finds a literary oasis in kindly Mr. Fakhri's neighborhood shop. She always feels safe in his dusty store. When Mr. Fakhri, with a keen instinct for a budding romance, introduces Roya to his other favorite customer, handsome Bahman, who has a burning passion for justice and a love for Rumi's poetry, she loses her heart at once. And, as their romance blossoms, the modest little shop remains their favorite place in all of Tehran. A few short months later, on the eve of their marriage, Roya agrees to meet Bahman at the town square, but suddenly, violence erupts, a result of the coup d'etat that forever changes their country's future.