Dr Zubeidi is a middle aged, middle class Iraqi who has spent much of his adult life in the UK and who has become totally assimilated in the culture and way of life of Britain. Married to an English woman and with two adult sons, a "chance" meeting with a beautiful Arab woman and his ensuing obsession with her eventually leads to the destruction of his family, job and ultimately his self esteem. In essence the story charts how a "mid-life crisis" driven by complacency and familiarity can provide fertile psychological soil for the seeds of infidelity to become implanted. Once germinated the resulting visceral and passionate affair grows rapidly but tragically is not as vigorous as it first appears and inevitably withers. The final chapter reveals how the events that preceded it may well have been predetermined. Interwoven in the tale of destructive love are subsidiary themes covering medical malpractice and racism with the Iraqi crisis always present in the background.