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Finally, the book ends during the American occupation of Afghanistan following the events of September 11, 2001.

After a decade of bloody infighting, the Taliban seize control and establish peace but also an extremely strict Shari’a law.

After battles with the Mujahideen, or Islamic fighters supported by the United States, the Soviet Union finally withdraws its last troops in 1989 and the Mujahideen take over. In 1978, there is a Communist counter-coup, and the Soviet Union invades in 1979. When the story opens, Afghanistan has recently undergone a bloodless coup in 1973. Throughout this time, Afghanistan was subjected to a series of violent, brutal wars and numerous political coups.

The novel takes place over approximately forty years, from the early 1970s, when Mariam is a teenager, to 2003, when Laila is settled once again in Kabul with her family.