Elizabeth Webster is a cantankerous spinster pushing seventy. Forced out of her school-teaching job, she unleashes her sharp tongue on everyone in the English village of Little Blessington. Then, after suffering a near-fatal illness, her doctor sends her on a journey to a North African country to recover. There she ventures into the desert and has a brush with terrorism. Miss Webster, however, no longer cares overmuch about anything, least of all Islamic politics and suicide bombers. Just weeks after her return there is a ring on her doorbell. Standing here in the darkness is a young Arab man of astonishing beauty. Worryingly, he is carrying a large suitcase. But who is Chérif? Why is he there and what does he want?