Although Kamal, an oud player, is disappointed that his second child is another daughter, he encourages Laila to play soccer, to be resilient, and excludes her from chores her mother and older sister perform. As she grows, Kamal learns Laila is a natural singer and trains her to sing Arabic songs. Against her mother’s wishes, Kamal takes her to night clubs where he plays his oud and eventually, she sings with the ensemble. Her father dies and she marries the rich pasha’s son. Her life changes—she no longer goes hungry, she moves into a palace, she is idle instead of working in another family’s kitchen, and wears expensive clothes, but will she be able to adjust after living in the poorest part of Cairo? And will her new family accept her, a woman who cannot read? 

A great insight into a time when the British ruled Egypt and were finally ousted as well as the restricted role women were expected to play.