The section entitled "The Trip" begins with Marji's dad announcing that the U.S. Embassy closed. The fundamentalists took the Americans hostage, so no visas would be given out, which meant Marji's dream of moving to America would never happen. She wrote a letter to her friend Kaveh in America to let him know. A short while later they closed the universities because they wanted to ensure that they were being taught properly, so Marji's dream of becoming the next Marie Curie was also shut down. Then one night Marji's mother called because her car broke down and she needed to be picked up. She told Marji and her father about how two fundamentalist men insulted her and threatened to rape her if she didn't wear a veil. Veils became mandatory for all women. Marji's mom told Marji to lie to people and say she prayed during the day. Marji went with her mother to a demonstration where she witnessed people being beaten. Her parents then decided to take her on a three-week vacation to Italy and Spain. When they returned, they learned the country was at war. An Arab invasion was occurring and Marji wanted to fight.

"The F-14's" starts off with jets flying past Marji's dad's office when she is there helping him with work. They hear on the radio that Iraqis are attacking, so they rush home to check on Marji's mother. She didn't even realize that bombing was happening because she was in the shower. Marji thinks they should fight back, but her father explains that all their pilots were put in jail for fighting against their own government. Marji has a friend at school, Pardisse, whose father is a pilot. She never heard about him going to jail, but her father assures her he was condemned. They were surprised when they heard the Iranian National Anthem come on the radio. They announced that the Iranians were the ones doing the bombing on Baghdad. They had released the pilots from prison to perform the attack, but many of them died during the mission. When Marji returned to school two weeks later, she found out Pardisse's father was one of the pilots who died. Marji tried to tell Pardisse that her father was a hero, but Pardisse said she'd prefer that he was alive.

The section "The Jewels" begins with Marji and her mother shopping for food. Due to the war, there is very little to be found. Her father struggles to find gas for the car; then it takes them until two in the morning to eventually get home. They hear that Iraq bombed a refinery in Abadan where a friend of Marji's mom, Mali, and her family live. They try to call her but get no response. The doorbell rings that night, and Mali is at the door with her husband and two sons. Marji's mom, Taji, allows them to stay with them for a week. They sell the few pieces of jewelry that they were able to save from their enormous house, which was destroyed. Their next visit to the grocery store they overhear that refugees are coming in, and some women are turning to prostitution to make money. They don't like how people within their own country are turning against each other.

In "The Key" they are constantly reading about all the soldiers who are dying in the war. At school they must beat their breasts as a ceremonial acknowledgement of the dead. The students started to mock these torture sessions. They misbehaved in class so much that their parents were called in and reprimanded for not teaching them manners. The parents argued back against the policies of the school, such as wearing the veils and not allowing them to play. Boys were being prepared to become soldiers. They were given keys and told that if they died in the war, the key would get them into heaven where there would be plenty of food and women. Their maid, Mrs. Nasrine, was upset that her son was being told these lies. Her son came over and said he wanted to marry Marji. Shabab, one of Marji's older cousins who had entered the military service was upset by all the young recruits being sent to die. Marji talked to another cousin Peyman who was having a party. Marji wore punk rock clothes and jewelry and had a great time.