Emma Gildcrest, a Canadian nurse working in Saudi Arabia, instantly learns the complexities of class and gender when her roommate of a few days, a woman she barely knows, is dragged to an Arabian prison to await the Saudi judicial systems punishmentbeatings, rape, continued imprisonment, or even stoning. Still suffering from culture shock, Emma struggles to free her roommate from a horrifying fate in this terrifying countrya country that demands your freedom as an entrance fee. Emma finally accepts, as she has no other choice, a nursing assignment with a royal family, which she is led to believe will remove her from the hostile environment she loathes.