In 1950s Turkey, against the backdrop of the social and political unrest that will culminate in Turkey's 1960 military coup d'etat, a dutiful daughter is torn between family expectations and her dream of becoming a modern Turkish woman. One night, seventeen-year-old Ayten sneaks away to Istanbul for a night of dancing with her best friend. When her father discovers her rebellion, he forces her into an arranged religious marriage to a distant relative who bullied her as a child. Initially, Ayten resigns herself to her fate - but after her husband sexually assaults her on their wedding night, she flees him and her family for haven in Istanbul. Living with friends and working as a seamstress at her friend's boutique, Ayten tries to rebuild her life. Then she meets Earl, an American airman, and they begin to fall in love - but as their connection deepens, secrets and her past threaten to upend all she's built. Torn between her family and a future with Earl, Ayten must decide what she's willing to sacrifice for freedom and forbidden love.