Amal Boody turned her back on conventionality, and instead went to live and work in a remote desert region of the Arabian Gulf. At first, she set up her practice in a tent, later transferring to two simple container cabins on the same site. There she served the women of the area for thirty years.In the beginning, as a lone Christian, she suffered abuse, but over time she came to be highly valued and honoured as a pillar of the local community, respected by Sheikhs, and friend to a whole generation of village women and their families.

Combining rigorous research, compelling first-hand accounts, and recorded conversations with Amal herself, Marion Osgood has drawn together the threads of this remarkable life.