STRAND OF A THOUSAND PEARLS
In the years leading up to Iran's marriage, her mother weaves one long strand of pearls into a wedding dress, lovingly unraveled by the husband Iran finds one night down by the sea. Solly is a fisherman, shy, clumsy, and burning with love for his young bride, and with all but a thousand of these pearls, they buy a tiny flat in a house shaded by guava trees. First comes Maurice, with a weak heart, then Sofia, Marcelle, and Lizzie, whose body is cursed with appetites, and mischievous Matti, who mourns her missing twin. At night, Iran coaxes her daughters to sleep with stories of their wedding nights, as they take turns conjuring dreams of the love that the future holds.