Where and when does the story takes place ?

When the story starts we are in 1974 in Herat, Afghanistan. The main character is 15 years old.
In this novel the time and place in which the main characters live has a big influance on their life and future.
Living in Afghanistan is very diffrent from living in Norway or other european countris. One of the reasons for this is that Afghanistan is a Muslim country. This book focus on young Afghan girls and women, which don`t have the same rights as women in Europe.
Mariam lives with her mother in a little and poor kolba outside of the city. Nana dosn`t work. They get food and other neccesities things from Jalil. Mariam dreams about going to school, but Nana doesn`t allow that. She says that the children will lought at her and that women like Mariam just endurer. Jalil is also afraid to take Mariam to the city because then people will find out that he has an illegitimate child. And it is a shame.

In part two of this book we meet Laila. She is about 20 years younger then Mariam. She leads another life then Mariam does. Laila lives in Kabul togheter with his mother and father. She goes to school and have friends.
In this time Soviet invesion takes place in Afghanistan. Both girls know that something is happening, but they can`t understend why. They dont`t know for exemple who a comunist is. Specially Mariam.

Women in Afghanistan can not express their own opinions, always have to do what their husbands want. A small number of women have the opportunity to attend a school. There are mens who rule in Afghanistan. Women have to stay at home, make dinner and clean the house. They have to use a burqa, and there are not a lot of places they can go alone.

In Afghanistan a women can do everything... what her husband allow.