The year is 1556 CE. Humayun has died, and his thirteen-year-old son and heir, Akbar, must battle to save his throne, even as a drought devastates the northern plains. Against this backdrop, an old man documents the story of his family?his ancestors and himself?beginning a hundred years earlier, when a teenager in Dilli discovers the true nature of his best friend. As the sprawling family saga unfolds, empires rise and fall, dynasties come and go, and generations pass, each with a rich cast of characters shaped by forces beyond their control; by desire, love and betrayal. Like Qasim, who, wracked by the guilt he inherited from his irresponsible father, embarks on an all-consuming search for an elusive heirloom, while his pragmatic wife, Aabida, holds the family together as breadwinner?using her embroidery skills to set up a brocade workshop. Two generations later, young Zubair finds himself torn between his family duty?the workshop established by his grandmother?and his secret longing for a mysterious insurgent, which will spell disaster for him and his family. Years later, his son, Nadeem, will choose his passion for calligraphy over brocade, only enduring the family business because of his love for Zarina, a talented naqshband?the artist who makes the exquisite designs for the tapestry.