22. The Letter

Asherah and Marianna are sitting on a bench, talking in low voices.

Asherah and Marianna are sitting on a bench in a park, talking in low voices.

MARIANNA

23. The Patient

The next day, Marianna is at her desk. A forty-year-old woman is sitting in front of her. She is wearing a sweater and jeans, and her hijab emphasizes a face made-up with great care.

MARIANNA

On the phone, you told me that you have an eight-year-old…

10. The Husband

The light is on in the living room, and the sound of repeated gunshots coming from the television is somewhat muted.

The front door opens, and Asherah comes in. She closes the door behind her with her foot, puts down her bags, and removes her shoes.

21. A Hospital Room

Her back to the room, Asherah looks out the window. Her blue outfit contrasts with the white walls around her. From time to time, a loudspeaker broadcasts a stifled call.

Suddenly, a man’s voice startles her.

11. The Pill

In the bedroom. Asherah is sitting on the edge of her bed. Her head between her hands, she lets a few muffled sobs of rage escape. She straightens up. Her face is swollen, and her whole body is sore. The muted sound of gunshots reminds her of her husband’s presence, and a look of hatred crosses her face.

4. The Laboratory

A group of women comes out of the locker room all dressed in white, with masks around their necks and their hair wrapped in bouffant caps.

They wave their badges in front of an electronic eye before entering the laboratory.

Part One

Tehran, Iran 2031

3. The Bus

The street is empty. Everything is clean and neat in the soft shades of the early morning light.

On the sidewalk, behind a bus stop with its digital panels switched off, a white building…

15. Flashback — Jalawla (Iraq), 2014

Nahid (21) and Asherah (8) have just been freed by the Peshmergas and walk confidently on a street that carries the evidence of recent fighting. Although riddled with the scars left by the war, most buildings are still habitable.

18. Marianna’s Office (Tehran, 2031)

Small desks are disseminated without any regularity in the large room. A few women are working in front of computer screens.

The front door opens, and Nahid (38) comes in. She greets everyone, hangs up her coat, and asks one of the women:

13. In the Park

The next day, Asherah walks towards the bench where Nahid and her friend Marianna, a woman in her late thirties, are waiting for her. They both are horrified when they see the tumefied face of Asherah.

NAHID

Oh my god! That bastard has surely made a…