The heroes of the novel - the cynical writer Stenham, the American tourist Lee and the young apprentice potter Amar - find themselves at the center of a political hurricane - the uprising of Moroccans against the French colonialists in the ancient city of Fez. Soon there will be no trace left of their measured life. Recognized as one of the most important achievements of American prose of the 20th century, the novel by Paul Bowles (1910–1999) has acquired particular relevance today, since it demonstrates the origins of the Islamic extremism that has fascinated the whole world.