In the year 2022, 60-year-old Fatima is a barren, aging Muslima. Her cruel husband, Azzam is senior imam at the East London Mosque, the largest in England. Fatima carries the disfiguring scars from his abuse.
Despite having four wives, Azzam is still desperate for a male heir. One wife has been stoned for her sins; the others are to him, but cattle. Fatima is worthless and expendable in his eyes, so she is chosen to go to the Celebration in Jerusalem. If she dies, there is no loss. There, he tells her, she will conceive a son by receiving The Gift, promised by the mysterious and powerful creature known as The One.
Fatima is shocked when she finds herself young and, yes, pregnant. With this realization comes a new kind of horror. She knows that the punishment for adultery is stoning, and Azzam always says that there must be punishment.
No longer fearing for her own well-being, Fatima now fears for the fate of her child. She has Azzam to contend with, but also his brother, Hassan-a man who used to rape her cruelly until Azzam punished her with scalding water. Although, blessed by the One, Fatima feels helpless to protect her baby. After all, she is just a woman.
