Set against the sweeping tide of history, this is the breathtaking tale of a romance that crosses political, geographic, and religious divides. Azerbaijan, 1918: though he is Muslim and she is Christian, Ali (Adam Bakri) and Nino (Maria Valverde) defy their parents and marry. At first it appears that their all-consuming love will be enough to overcome the differences in their backgrounds. But their bond is soon put the test, first as she confronts what it means to be a westernized woman living in a traditionalist society, and then again when everything they know is turned upside down by the arrival of World War I.