Mahboubeh Malacouti, an elderly woman, is perusing her garden in Los Angeles, thinking back to events that led up to her birth.  Her mother dies when she is quite young of “women’s problems”, and she is raised by her father and her aunt in a Jewish home in Iran.  The Malacouti’s are wealthy, thanks in large part to her Uncle Asher’s business smarts.  However, with all of his brains and money, Asher cannot produce an heir.  He and his wife will try almost anything to have a child.

This debut novel, which draws on the author’s family history, gets better and better with each chapter.