Jude lives in a Syrian city on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. It is the summer before her seventh-grade year. Tourists from places like Damascus, Beirut, Doha, and Aleppo usually crowd their seaside city; this year, though, the city expects far fewer tourists from Aleppo. Jude’s father (Baba) frowns upon her asking questions of tourists and strangers; he tells her “Jude, skety” (4), which means “be quiet, don’t talk.”

Jude explains that her seaside city, “where the rest of Syria comes when they want to / breathe” (5-6), looks different from cities like Aleppo, with their crowded buildings and noise. Jude’s closest friend and cousin, Fatima, thinks that no one will come to visit their city this year. Fatima is 24 days older than Jude, and they grew up together, “always in step, / four feet pointed in the same direction” (7). Now, though, Jude thinks Fatima is “kilometers ahead” (8); Fatima has begun menstruating and wearing the traditional headscarf, making her one of the first in their grade to do so.

At asroneyah (afternoon snack), either Jude’s Mama or Fatima’s mother (Jude’s Aunt Amal) gives them food like olives, bread, and jebnah (cheese).