Summary

Alia, Riham, and Souad are in Amman for the summer and Riham hates how noisy it is there. Alia argues with Souad over some toys left in the kitchen and eventually, they set off for their day at the beach. Salma is a beacon of calm for Riham and she loves her grandmother. She feels sad that Salma spends the rest of the year alone, but Salma keeps occupied with cooking and gardening, taking great pride in providing food from her own garden. Riham knows that she used to have a garden in Palestine but that it burnt down. She knows not to ask about it.

Riham is very different from her cousins Lara and Mira as she is shy and quiet, and they are confident and loud. They talk openly about fashion and boys and their aspirations to become singers and...