In the run-up to the second Gulf War a young Irishwoman, Vivien, fulfilling her dream of seeing the magical land of Yemen, starts a passionate affair with a charismatic English anthropologist. However, he has a traumatic history with the woman who was once Vivien's best friend, a history he doesn't realise Vivien knows all about, leaving her battling the conflicting demands of loyalty and love. A gripping depiction of a female friendship disintegrating, and of disillusionment, jealousy and obsession.