A new edition of this magnificent novel by Maïssa Bey, with a cover by Algerian artist Ammar Bouras. In the beginning was the sea... The wild and untamed coves, discovered one by one. Sanctuaries where their escapades lead them. There, they wander without fear. They have forgotten, they are forgetting—that dangerous and wondrous miracle of love—the fear that causes people to hide behind walls that are ever higher and ever more fortified. Nadia, the heroine, young, beautiful, trembling with excitement at life’s promises, and already rebelling against the fate imposed upon her. Salim, 15 years old; his little sister Fériel; and above all, Djamel, the older brother—somber, menacing, trapped in a different story. Then comes the encounter with Karim, the weak one; the secret love affair and its dramatic consequences.