In seventeenth-century Iran, a fourteen-year-old woman plans to be married within the year. But when her beloved father dies, she finds herself without a dowry. With no means of support, she and her mother must leave their village and journey to the home of her father's half-brother, a wealthy rug designer in the court of the shah. The young woman blossoms as a brilliant designer of carpets. Her talent flourishes, but her prospects fro happiness grow dim. Pressured into a secret marriage, she is faced with a daunting decision.