Panoria is a young girl who was miraculously saved from the Great Fire of Smyrna, otherwise known as the Disaster of Asia Minor, in 1922. She arrives in Athens, along with thousands of refugees, but she is alone. She lost all her family in the catastrophe of Smyrna. Young as she is, she has no choice other than becoming a servant to survive. Each house she works in is a chapter of the book. In each home, Panoria learns valuable lessons about people and society. However, this knowledge is not easily earned. The massive explosion severely damaged her hearing during the evacuation in the harbour of Smyrna. This makes her feel lonely and isolated, even around people. So, her most trusted sense is her sight. She watches everything, and, if necessary, through keyholes, which is how she discovers a lot about her employers. The employers tell her only what they want her to know. She picks knowledge as best as she can, such as how to save as much money as possible, little by little, and in time to make her dream come true: to build her own house with a balcony and two stone lions to support it. She follows her dream-but with an unpredictable end.