Modern Tehran is a loud giant. It greets travelers with choking smog in the winter, grabs them by the throat with hot air in the summer, and forces them to quicken their pace. It tests everyone who arrives here, demanding an honest answer: do you love it or do you hate it?
Setare—that was the name of the grandmother who had won our grandfather’s heart. From the moment Ismail first met her, he knew he would marry her. But Setare’s wealthy Turkish parents disapproved of the match. To them, Ismail was just a poor young man—kind, sincere, but not worthy of their daughter. Despite this, the young couple began meeting in secret.