Amina is an Arab American woman attending one of the best universities in the US. During the spring of her junior year, Amina experiences the ultimate betrayal by someone she had considered a brother. Her rape makes her essentially unmarriageable in the eyes of her parents and, possibly, the entire Arab community. When her mother experiences a nervous breakdown, Amina fears that she is responsible for her mother's condition. Her mother's behavior suggests that even she blames Amina. Eventually Amina falls in love with Sherif. When he learns of her rape, will he stand by her, or will he prove himself unworthy of her love and abandon her? Will Amina ever find the noble man she sees in her dreams, or will she decide to settle for a life without love?