A Tulip in the Desert is the story of Amina, a nine year old girl from a small village in the Waziristan region of northern Pakistan who lives in an extended family system. Amina narrates the next ten years of her tremulous life, opening a window into the enigmatic society of ultraconservative Waziristan. Life there is particularly harsh for girls as they are kept fully guarded by their male relatives. As if life isn't harsh enough for her, she dares to pursue a passion that women in that "medieval society" are forbidden to even dream of. A new twist comes with the start of the American-Afghan war. Thousands of Afghani Taliban flood her village as refugees but soon start imposing their versions of Islamic laws and morality. Like many of their fellow villagers, Amina's family faces Taliban vengeance at one front and American drone bombing at the other. She describes how these events seal the fate of each member of her extended family and how they impact her in pursuit for her forbidden passion.
