The jeep lurches through the night on rutted roads through bleak mountain passes. Eleven-year-old Sam huddles between strangers, a father and twin sons; their driver navigates recklessly through a savage landscape. Alongside the dirt track Sam’s father watches with tear-filled eyes as his young son, his wonder child, stares back dazed as the jeep pulls farther and farther away into a black gloom. And so begins a journey north to unknown lands into the perilous path of smugglers and predators.

Desperate, Sam’s father sold everything so his son, who’s determined to obey and honor him, can have a better life with distant relatives two continents away in California. Hoping despite all obstacles that the rest of the family can follow. Sam’s lifelong ally Rostam is his guide and companion – the mythical hero and warrior, a paladin of the Shahnameh, The Book of Kings – the ancient Persian epic written a thousand years ago by Ferdowsi. Sam’s father filled his boyish imagination with glorious tales of the legendary superhero. Sustained by the transformative power of myth, reluctant and uncertain, Sam departs carrying the hopes of his family and drawing strength from an ancient and enlightened literary heritage.

The simorgh is a mythical, benevolent, winged creature, always female, who helps the heroine, or hero, along the path. There are many variations of the tale; one of the most celebrated is The Conference of the Birds, a Persian poem from the 12th century.

Two young women from opposite corners of the world are travelling together when they are abducted by a group of renegades. Anna is an American researcher who met Farah, her Persian teacher, in France where they both live. Anna had become enamored with the culture and language of ancient Persia and was taking language classes to research the civilizations. Farah offers to accompany Anna to Iran and act as her guide and translator. The women are near the western border when they are captured by outlaws and locked in a stone hut, their fate unknown. For days they are held captive, awaiting the arrival of the leader of the band. During their captivity they share their fears, but also personal stories, telling each other of their childhood and families, joys and sorrows. The bandits disagree on what should be done with the women and one lieutenant in the group is intent on harming them. A young servant becomes close to the women and decides to help them. At the end of part one, they plan an escape, free themselves, and flee into the wild and desolate Zagros mountains.

The journey over the Zagros is as treacherous as their captivity among the renegades had been. They encounter danger at each turn, seeking refuge in abandoned structures and caves. Wild beasts, tribesmen, land mines, corrupt border guards and desert conditions obstruct their escape. They are helped by local nomadic shepherds and the young servant who fled with them. However, the outlaws are also on their trail and the women struggle to avoid being recaptured. During the ordeal in the Zagros they continue sharing their stories which include the tragedies of their young lives – abandonment, imprisonment, torture and loss of loved ones. At the end of the part two, it appears that they are in reach of safety when the band again catches up with them.