Henry Haskins, an elderly Englishman, has seen his beloved Tangier change over the years. From its earlier incarnation as a quiet colonial outpost, he has been a steadfast witness to its transformation into an international hub populated by peoples of diverse nationalities, races, faiths, and customs who have found a way to live peacefully together. Now he has watched Tangier as it was integrated into an independent Morocco.
Then, one day, he makes a fateful phone call- and finds himself under arrest. During his life, he has been gripped by two impossible loves and suffered tragedy. Throughout it all, he loved this complex and cosmopolitan city, even when it stopped loving him. In many ways, Haskins is the human embodiment of a time and a place in history that is lost forever.
The life of Henry Haskins, his struggle with the loss of his paradise, and finally his solitude, portrays the emotions and fate of those who once called this extraordinary city home.