The novel tells the story of Issa (José), a young man born to a Kuwaiti man (Rashid Al-Tarouf) and a Filipina maid named Josephine. After his family refused to acknowledge him, Issa was sent back to the Philippines. He grew up in poverty and alienation, torn between two homelands: the Philippines, where he was born, and Kuwait, where his father lived. When he returns to Kuwait as a young man, he is confronted with a harsh social reality that does not recognize him as Kuwaiti, despite his father's blood. The novel delves into the questions of identity and belonging, and criticizes racism and classism through a character searching for roots but finding no ground to call home.