June 1947 was the eve of the end of the world for 18-year old Yousif Safi, for Yousif is a Palestinian. In this captivating novel, a boy becomes a man, while all he has ever known crumbles around him. When we first encounter Yousif, he is filled with hopes for his education abroad and with daydreams of his first love, the beautiful Salwa. As the future of Palestine grows increasingly bleak, and as his countrymen and his fellow villagers face the establishment of Israel, Yousif resolves to face his own responsibilities of manhood. Despite monumental odds, Yousif vows to win back both his loves--Salwa and Palestine--and to create his world anes.