The Septembers Of Shiraz

Two seasons after his arrest, Isaac is still in solitary confinement, washing his feet several times a day, and enduring the pain. He reminisces about the sounds and smells of the daily routine in his old life. Hossein brings him fresh bandages and they talk about the child running up and down the stairs every day—it’s not a hallucination, but Mohsen’s son. Mohsen is very proud of the boy, not least because after having been tortured in the prison himself, the interrogator feared he could never have children. Hossein claims Mohsen is not a bad man. He encourages Isaac to believe that he will survive, and to have faith.

Alone, Isaac asks himself in what he should have faith. Though he has lived a secular life, his Jewish name gives away his ethnicity, and so unlike his siblings, he is condemned to suffer for a religion he does not even believe in.

Farnaz visits the antique shop and receives a miniature from a 16th-century version of the Book of Kings, an extremely rare and valuable relic, as collateral to hold until Javad returns her money. The art dealer expresses fear for his precious items, tiredness, and anger, which Farnaz shares. He predicts that Farnaz will leave the country one day.

Isaac’s mother visits Farnaz and tells her that her father-in-law is very sick. Though he never loved Isaac’s mother, she will still miss him. Isaac’s mother also complains about her daughter, who is obsessed with designer handbags, and her “swindling son” (220). Her only happiness is Isaac, but he has been taken from her too. Farnaz will bury Isaac’s father as he would have done. Isaac’s mother cheers up when Shirin arrives home from school accompanied by Habibeh, with whom Farnaz is now partially reconciled, since the ring has been found.

Shirin thinks of her father and death as she goes to school in her dark uniform. There, Leila tells her that since she asked the other girls about the files, they don’t play with her. Then she accuses Shirin of taking them. Leila’s father has lost his job because of the missing files; he asked Leila for a list of her friends to investigate them. As Shirin panics, Leila says she left Shirin’s name off the list and that they should not spend time together anymore. Shirin goes to the nurse, wondering if her father is dead and if it is her fault.

Parviz calls home and Shirin tells him that their father has not returned home from his trip yet.

He goes to the flower shop looking for Rachel. Mr. Broukhim says she is off today and warns him against getting involved with a religious girl. Then he admits he is bitter about women because of his experience with his wife. He envies Parviz his youth, but Parviz feels no thrill in his lonely life. Parviz walks through the city until early morning, feeling disconnected from it until the familiar smells of the fish market remind him of the Caspian Sea and give him solace.

In a tea-house full of shady characters, Farnaz learns from Keyvan that he and Shahla are leaving for Geneva through Turkey via a clandestine arrangement. Shahla has recently been attacked with acid and is refusing to see anyone; she worries she is no longer attractive to Keyvan. Keyvan fears for their future, as his father was close to the Shah. He says goodbye to Farnaz sadly. Farnaz recalls the couple’s lavish wedding in their villa in the shadow of the Shah’s palace, and how Shahla was radiant in her satisfaction at marrying someone so well-connected. Farnaz mourns the loss of those days of “shameless extravagance” (234) and allows herself to dwell in their memory. She picks up a pair of Isaac’s shoes from the cobbler and tells the man her husband “has been busy” (235).

In his cold, grey cell, Isaac remembers the prophecy of a tarot card reader in Spain, on a long-ago trip with Farnaz. She had drawn the death card, but then told him it represented an end and a beginning, not actual death. The incident had overshadowed their day, however.

Now he opens the Koran that Hossein has given him. He considers the importance of stories and poetry, but also remembers that Farnaz is the one who read stories to the children because he was too busy.

He falls asleep until guards wake him up, drag him out of cell to the snowy courtyard, and make him stand facing the wall with his arms lifted. Bullets are shot at the wall around him, but he is not killed. He falls to the ground.

As Shirin walks home, the news headlines announce the death of hundreds of martyrs in the war against Iraq. Earlier in school, the teachers asked who would fight in the war, and Leila raised her hand. The teacher excused those who volunteered from doing homework. Shirin and Leila discussed dying in war and martyrdom. When Shirin questioned why you would need a key to paradise, Leila got annoyed and said they should not be talking.

Walking home, Shirin reminisces about the colors of cities she has visited, compared to “Tehran, the black city” (243). Her father was always light-hearted on their trips abroad. Nobody opens the door when she arrives home, and she thinks back to summers when the house was full of Parviz’s friends, light, and sweetness.

Months later, Isaac lies in his cell, drifting in and out of sleep, hearing bodies fall after being shot. He fixates on the idea that he will leave no trace of his existence. As Mohsen interrogates him again, Isaac proclaims his innocence but acknowledges his mistake in pursuing material wealth. To Isaac’s claim that he has nothing, Mohsen replies that it is he who has nothing. Isaac quotes from the Koran, knowing that this may help him. Mohsen approves, and tells Isaac briefly about his son and his own past torture. Isaac appeals to Mohsen as a father. Mohsen admits that there is no evidence against Isaac, “and yet, the way you lived condemns you” (250). To this, Isaac replies that he will change his ways and even give a generous donation to the Revolution: “My entire savings” (250).

Isaac is forced into his shoes and then driven blindfolded towards the city. He ponders his offer and its morality: Will he contribute to others’ deaths? In the end, thinking of Farnaz, he convinces himself that “A man has a right to live” (252).

He is driven home to get a piece of identification. Farnaz opens the door, cries, and kisses Isaac’s hands. They go inside and look for his birth certificate. Before they can find it, a guard takes one of Isaac’s decorative swords and presses it against Farnaz’s neck. After she gets the birth certificate, the guard keeps the sword, telling Isaac he is not free yet.

The bank employees recognize Isaac. Isaac says he wants to withdraw all his savings and an old friend brings out five bags stuffed with cash.

Outside, Isaac rejects the offer of a lift home from the guard, who calls him a lucky man. He looks at his bulging feet, too big for his shoes, and the stains on his now oversized pants. He remembers the poverty of his youth and how he promised himself he would visit the places he had only seen in pictures.