This novel combines fictitious narrative history with real Moorish history, especially the fall of Granada at the Pass of the Moor's Sigh.
We meet Moraes Zogoiby who goes by Moor for short. Moor traces his family history from four generations back until his own lifetime where he switches to more typically narration. We also earn about Moor's strange health condition which causes him to age twice as quickly as normal humans, making his expected life half as long. Moor also has a deformed hand.
Moor details aspects of his relationship with his mother, Aurora. She is a national artist whose work includes the geopolitical history of their nation, including the fall of Granada, depicted in a painting she titled: "The Moor's Last Sigh." Moor also discusses his relationships with his three older sisters.
Continuing the theme of female relationships, Moor also confides the story about the first time he ever fell in love. Her name was Uma, and she worked as a sculptor, and he loved most her outgoing, always surprising personality.
