After a series of unfortunate choices and events leave herliterally living in the street for three months, Marjane decides toreturn to her native Iran. Here, she is reunited with her family,whose liberalism and emphasis on Marjane's personal worth exert asstrong an influence as the eye-popping wonders of Europe. Havinggrown accustomed to recreational drugs, partying, and dating,Marjane now dons a veil and adjusts to a society officially dividedby gender and guided by fundamentalism. Emboldened by the exampleof her feisty grandmother, she tests the bounds of the moralityenforced on the streets and in the classrooms. With a newappreciation for the political and spiritual struggles of herfellow Iranians, she comes to understand that "one person leavingher house while asking herself, 'is my veil in place?' no longerasks herself 'where is my freedom of speech?'"