Nora Zhor Guerraoi

Nora is the daughter of Driss and Maryam, and the younger sister of Salma. At the beginning of the novel, she works as a substitute teacher in Oakland, California, while harboring aspirations to work as a classical music composer. Nora had grown up in the Mojave Desert, but is frequently treated as an outsider due to her family's foreign (Moroccan) heritage. The novel primarily tracks Nora's emotional journey as she returns to the Mojave Desert immediately following her father's death. Nora's wish to be present with her family as they grieve Driss' death is complicated by their disapproval of her musical aspirations. Additionally, the process is complicated when the family discovers that Driss had left a significant life insurance payment to be paid specifically to Nora.

During her time back at home in the Mojave Desert, Nora begins a relationship with her childhood acquaintance, Jeremy, despite...