Qamar

A girl of nine who, out of young love, spent ten sleepless nights trying to harness the moon only to find the young man married another. Her heart is further complicated by the death of her parents. She gives up her passion for ballet out of grief and works as a tightrope walker in a circus. Ironically, even though she performs flips, unicycle riding, and incorporates vultures and tigers into her act with no net, she lacks the courage to open her heart. Meeting Hilal helps, as she says there is “no mathematical law or theorem for falling in love. It isn't like the distance to the moon. It’s much less than that, and more doable” (12). And even though she believes she is merely inviting Hilal to her wedding, she really is inviting her heart to open.

Hilal

As a young boy, he read the newspaper article...