The story takes place in the Cholistian Desert, in Pakistan, near the border with India in the 1970's or 1980's. The story is narrated in a simple voice by the protagonist, Shabanu.

Shabanu lives with her mother, father, older sister, grandfather, aunt, and young cousins in a set of mud huts near the border between Pakistan and India. The family owns a herd of refined camels. They attend to a fair at Sibi, which is up once a year, where they sell the camels to provide for their personal needs. The family depends of water to be able to live in the desert, which is located at the toba. As long as they have water they can live there.

Shabanu looks up at her older sister, Phulan, with scorn and envy. Phulan is a beautiful girl and she has been promised to a man, Hamir, who lives in...