Nasma is eleven years old. She escapes to the rooftop of the apartment building where she lives. This is her sanctuary. Here she keeps birds just like her late father in order to honor him, against the knowledge of her mother and the will of the boy who keeps birds on the roof across the street. Because she is a girl, she is forbidden to keep her birds, but the rivalry between the two only encourages Nasma to fight for her birds and her right to keep her hobby. However the onset of womanhood may change all that.​