Set in the Upper Egyptian village of Karnak against the backdrop of the British campaigns in Sudan, the Second World War, and the war in Palestine, "The Collar and the Bracelet" tells the saga of the Bishari family - a family ripped apart by the violence of history, the dark conduits of human desire, and the rigid social conventions of village life. The novella traces the grim intrigues of Hazina al-Bishari and the destinies of her son, the notorious bandit Mustafa; her daughter Fahima, tortured by a secret passion; and the tragic doom of her beautiful granddaughter Nabawiya.