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English translation of the title: The Virgin of the Rocks
Contents
* Contents derived from the Sydney,New South Wales,:M Press,1989 version. Please note that other versions/publications may contain different contents. See the Publication Details.
The narrator is living an emotional conflict. She has to decide to accept an arranged marriage which helps to pay for the medication of her sick mother. In the meantime, she is still suffering the pain caused by her mother's lover who has sexually assaulted her since she was a child.
The narrator has been searching for his kidnapped brother during the civil war. Expecting help from particular parties, he asked them for assistance. However he felt more welcomed and safe with the people 'in the other area'.
The narrator is on his way to Geneva, to present a proposal for a tourism project to the United Nations. After many years of war, he hasn't given up on his country and believes an internal tourism project would offer the chance to the people of Lebanon to know each other better.
The narrator is on a mission with his adventurer cousin and childhood friend. They have to cross a high river to the villages on the other side and the bridge has been planted with deadly explosive mines.
The writer is trying to wash his face after he woke up from a deep sleep. In his hungover state, he is describing his untidy house and the struggles to get clean water from its taps.
The narrator has been searching for her missing daughter for four months. She tried to look for her everywhere in Paris, where they moved after the assassination of her husband in Lebanon.
The narrator is describing her apartment building and neighborhood before and after the beginning of the war. Also, she is missing her family, her home and her village which leads her to give up everything and return there.
The narrator has to make a wise decision between a fake marriage to a prostitute in order to open a business in the Gulf, or enjoying his promotion as a chief of the public market in Beirut after the success of his militia operation.
The narrator and many others are waiting in front of a militia office to get approval to travel. In the meantime, the chief who is supposed to arrive soon is enjoying his lunch and having a nap at his mistress's house, while her husband is getting them apricots from the garden.
The narrator has gained various skills in theft and has excelled in shootings to the point where he's asking his trainer to bestow his nickname on him.
The narrator has never given up on getting the warmth back to his cold city. He has always believed and has faith in the power of the Virgin of the Rocks who will die to save the beloved city.
