Based on autobiographical events the novel begins in1940s in the village of Ora, Cyprus, where Nicolas Maos grows up in abject poverty with his mother, widow Kyriaki (Sunday), and his physically disadvantaged sister. Yet the mother s uncompromising love and unwavering belief in God keep his spirit and dreams alive. Nothing less than divine intervention, could have placed Nicolas in the town of Larnaca, where he won a scholarship to attend the American Academy. The Academy becomes the most important factor to shape the youth s character and personality. After graduation, Nicolas works at a British army base while his closest friends turn to EOKA, the secret Greek Cypriot organization fighting the British colonial forces for independence. Nicolas and his friends face several brushes with death. The events which allowed Nicolas to attend the Academy and later enter an Ivy League college in America are referred to by his mother as miracles. As Nicolas struggles with cultural conflicts and financial difficulties in New York City in the 1960 s he also has several unsuccessful romances until finally finding the woman of his dreams. But his choice of a spouse, a mixed-race woman from South Africa, would undoubtedly become a contentious subject with his beloved mother and his friends.