When Mrs. Ardavi is invited to fly from Iran and spend a few months with her son, her American daughter-in-law, Elizabeth, has much to prepare and begins to study Persian. Mrs. Ardavi anxiously arrives at the foreign airport and struggles with being unable to communicate with anyone. When she meets Hassan, she is unable to recognize him. It has been twelve years since he left Iran as a medical student. They drive back to his home in uncomfortable silence, and she is relieved to meet Elizabeth, who greets her in Iranian. Mrs. Ardavi struggles to adjusts to her life in America and continues her religious traditions and Iranian customs. She often writes back to her large family back home, critiquing and commenting on the way Hilary, her granddaughter, is being raised. She begins to reminisce on her own life, recalling her hard and grim childhood. She spends time with Elizabeth and Hilary at the park and grocery store, but language barriers restrict her, and Hassan does not talk much with her. She has a hard time sleeping and ruminates over old memories of her husband and first son’s death. She regretfully recalls how she hid her first son’s death from Hassan, who immediately figured it out from her the letters. When she goes for a dentist checkup, she is terrified to find that she needs to get surgery. Hassan and Elizabeth arrange for the appointments, and she feels that they are inattentive to her fear. In the wintertime, Mrs. Ardavi criticizes Elizabeth about not dressing Hilary warm enough. When Hilary gets sick and goes to the doctor, Mrs. Ardavi is certain it is a problem with her ears, and Hassan snaps at her for trying to play doctor. The doctor confirms what she thought, but she does not say anything about it. Her relationship with Elizabeth grows more strained, and Hassan talks about moving her into an apartment, saying it is American custom of moving guests into apartments after three months. Not wanting to live alone, Mrs. Ardavi says she will return to Iran early. Hassan drops her off at the airport, and she wears a headscarf that sets her apart from all the people at the airport.