Ruins

March 1976: The Shah rules Iran with an iron fist, but opposition to his regime is simmering in the mosques and bazaars. Walt Tierney, an itinerant young American, wanders into the ancient city of Isfahan. Entranced by its tattered beauty, Walt decides to stay, unaware that two years later he'll be caught up in the violence that overthrows the Shah.

Ruins interweaves stories, characters, and history into a colorful and authentic portrait of Iran as its revolution is gathering force. It chronicles Walt's adventures and misadventures, his love affairs and personal battles, while it charts his growing understanding of Iranians and their history. Things reach a crisis when another American betrays Walt's best friend, an Iranian, to the Shah's secret police. Walt exacts a bloody revenge and then, while violent riots are breaking out around him, must flee Iran. The novel explores how belief in America the exceptional could have played a role in the Iranian Revolution.