'You are a man now, take care of your mother,' Zia's father whispered to Zia just as he is arrested - never to return home. Soon after that, in 1989, the Russians pull out of Afghnaistan, and the country falls into civil war. After the Taliban took over, women were not allowed to work, nor could girls go to school. Zia's Story is based on the author's own experiences as a young mother having to flee an Afghanistan torn apart by war with her young son.