This is a long and varied account of the journey towards self-knowledge in a time of war. It is a treatise for peace and understanding under the historical background she documents with great care. The secrets of the middle-east to some extent open up in this very personal account of a particular time and a particular place. Ms. Davidson's voice is authentic and honest as she explores her own fallibilities and passions through love affairs, work and travel as an ex-pat, a neither/or --while seeking her truths in the City of Light with a fabulous and devastating cast of characters. You will learn things you thought you knew through the eyes of one who has lived it.