After suffering a serious seizure that has affected his memory, Mahmoud, a famous novelist and political writer, seeks out the solace of the country estate where he lived as a young boy in order to regain his ability to write. As he reconnects with familiar surroundings, the house in which he lived and the pear tree that once bore fruit, but which is now barren, memories of his childhood infatuation for his cousin, M, begin to surface. Flashing back to the summer he spent with his cousin, the middle-aged Mahmoud becomes once again the awkward youth of his past, and M, becomes the high-spirited girl who shared his love of poetry and games. But, his joyous reverie is overshadowed by the fact that his beloved M, has died, a fact he discovered during his time in jail as a political prisoner. Like the pear tree of his childhood, Mahmoud is filled with a feeling of barrenness that he cannot shake. Awards/Festivals: Silver Hugo Best Film Chicago International Film Festival 1998; Crystal Simorgh Best Actress & Cinematography 1998 International Competition Fajr Film Festival 1998; Singapore International Film Festival 1999.