Set in the late nineteenth century on a mythical island off the coast of Yemen, Radwa Ashour's Siraaj: An Arab Tale tells the poignant story of a mother and son as they are drawn inextricably into a revolt against their island's despotic sultan.

Amina, a baker in the sultan's palace, anxiously awaits her son's return from a long voyage at sea, fearful that the sea has claimed Said just as it did his father and grandfather. Said, left behind in Alexandria by his ship as the British navy begins an attack on the city, slowly begins to make his way home, witnessing British...