It is summer in Istanbul as Behiye prepares to enter one of Turkey's most prestigious universities. Angry, overweight, and embarrassed by her parents, Behiye longs for salvation from her teenage despair. In the week before she starts university, she is introduced to Handan--a beautiful, gentle girl who will change Behiye's life forever. Immediately drawn to one another, the two girls embark upon an intense relationship, even though they are from completely different backgrounds with different dreams and ambitions. Their love provokes anger and mistrust, and they are forced to flee their beloved Istanbul. Perihan Magden was born in 1960. The author of The Messenger Boy Murders , she lives in Istanbul.