Aisha Benali is a 45-year-old Moroccan woman who has been a widow for seven years. She lives in a modest apartment in Rabat’s Agdal district with her three daughters: Salma (22), Nour (20), and Lina (18). All three are virgins and very beautiful, yet they have received only a minimal education. They have never worked and spend most of their time at home, dressed modestly and in traditional attire.

Aisha is a devout Muslim, deeply committed to the values ​​of modesty, family honor, and religion. She wears the hijab whenever she goes out, prays five times a day, and has raised her daughters with the same strict adherence to these principles. Yet, behind this pious facade, she is a woman who has always had a conflicted relationship with her body: she is full-figured—with wide hips and a large bust, a soft belly, and thick thighs. She considers herself coarse and ugly, even though many men look at her with desire. This complex self-image makes her extremely sensitive about her appearance.

Since her husband’s death, debts have piled up. The rent has gone unpaid for months. Aisha has already sold almost everything she could: jewelry, household appliances, and even some valuable clothing. She has nothing left. The landlord (the narrator) begins to exert increasing pressure. At first, the demands are merely "acceptable" tasks—cleaning, cooking, laundry—but they soon become more intimate and humiliating. Aisha resists for a long time, weeping, praying, and wrestling with her conscience. Ultimately, however, the fear of ending up on the street with her three daughters breaks her down—slowly, step by step.

The Daughters

Salma (22): The eldest; she is somewhat more mature and already aware that their situation is desperate. She feels ashamed but tries to maintain her dignity. Nour (20): the most beautiful of the three, very naive, easily intimidated, quick to tears.

Lina (18): the youngest, still almost childlike in her purity, the most traumatized by the thought of what might happen to her.