1941 Téhéran: Dr. Soleiman Yaran, a cel­e­brat­ed den­tist, returns to the Jew­ish Quar­ter. Where, he works on the Shah’s wife, Queen Fawzia Pahlavi, who has a toothache. Dr. Yaran is renowned for his inno­v­a­tive treat­ments, specif­i­cal­ly an alter­na­tive to no novo­caine, Ruby Mag­ic, named after his wife. When Ruby dies in child­birth, Yaran com­mits him­self to his peo­ple, his daugh­ter, Neda, and his work. As he wins the Queen’s approval, Yaran must treat anoth­er pow­er­ful Mus­lim patient: the opi­um-addict­ed Gov­er­nor Gen­er­al. What sur­pris­es him is how he feels after an encounter with the General’s defi­ant wife, Vel­vet. Amidst mil­i­tary con­flict, polit­i­cal tumult, and oppres­sion is a sto­ry of for­bid­den love. Will Soleiman Yaran risk the safe­ty of his com­mu­ni­ty for a mar­ried Mus­lim woman? Will Vel­vet risk her life to sat­is­fy her yearn­ing for affec­tion? To com­pli­cate mat­ters, Neda exhibits increas­ing­ly dis­turb­ing behav­ior, the Gen­er­al has a secret taboo, and Yaran is enlist­ed to help secure safe pas­sage to Pales­tine for a group of Pol­ish orphans. How it all ends is at once heart­break­ing and hopeful.