A woman traveling to North Africa endures a difficult voyage and pauses at a coastal hotel before continuing inland. In the desert she encounters a solitary, enigmatic man whose secretive past and spiritual struggles gradually surface. Their tentative intimacy prompts examinations of faith, longing, and the contrast between the settled world and the desert's isolating beauty. The narrative alternates detailed natural description with intimate scenes and pilgrimage-like journeys, building to a revelation that forces both characters to confront the consequences of love, solitude, and inner conviction.