It is said there are 99 Arabic words for love. Bea, an American exchange student, has learned them all: In search of deep feeling, she travels to a Middle Eastern country known to hold "The Astonishing Text," an ancient, original manuscript of a famous Arabic love story that is said to move its best readers to tears. Once in this foreign country, though, Bea finds that instead of intensely reading Arabic, she is entwined in her host family's complicated lives. But as the country drifts toward explosive unrest, Bea wonders how many secrets she can keep, and how long she can fight for a romance that does not belong to her.