Includes bibliographical references.

"Anna is the daughter of Americans working in Cairo. But she feels more at home with the humble family of her friend Layla, who lives in the doorman's shack adjacent to Anna's apartment building. As the women grow up, their unlikely friendship is put to the test as they each face a family health crisis. Gulfs of misunderstanding emerge, as Anna deals with her family history of breast cancer, and Layla makes difficult decisions about her father's kidney failure. When the Arab Spring in Egypt erupts, each gets swept up in the revolutionary fervor in Tahrir Square. Amidst this personal and political turmoil, Anna and Layla must reckon with illness, risk, and loss in different ways. Ultimately they come to learn the power of friendship and the importance of hope against all odds -- that there is still time to fight for a better tomorrow, together"--Provided by publisher.