October 1905 In the historic city of Smyrna, in the centre of the Ottoman Empire, Scheherazade is born to an opium-drunk mother. An Indian spy with a covert mission for the British Empire arrives in the golden-hued, sycamore-scented city at the exact same time. 17 years later, the city and its residents will be consumed by flames as he departs, leaving behind the stench of kerosene and smoke. This fascinating book depicts a city and a culture that are now lost to time through the intertwined fates of four families: a Levantine, Greek, Turkish, and Armenian.