Hamed bin Ayyub reflects on his youth as a prosperous perfumer in Jerusalem, where he steadfastly avoided women following his father's strict warnings. His resolve crumbles upon hearing Salamah Khatun sing from a neighboring rooftop, leading him into a reckless courtship. Disregarding warnings about her dangerous cousin, Hamed arranges to transport her secretly to Damascus in a lavish cavalcade. Instead, the journey proves to be an elaborate trap orchestrated by Salamah and her actual master, a villainous musician who drugs Hamed with bhang.
Awakening bound and stranded in the desert, Hamed faces a series of trumped-up charges based on strict legal interpretations of the Koran. Through a succession of merciless extortions, the musician strips him of his gold, his camels, his slaves, and all his worldly possessions under the guise of legal penalties. The ordeal culminates in the partial amputation of Hamed's right foot, leaving him with meager supplies and a mocking farewell note.
Surviving the desert ordeal, Hamed returns to Jerusalem as a crippled beggar before learning English from a foreign benefactor and establishing himself as a dragoman. Despite his disastrous first engagement, Hamed later marries a flirtatious woman who proves faithful for four decades until her death. The narrative concludes with Hamed's cynical observation on modern courtship and the contrasting virtues of modest versus bold women.
