Salama Kassab was a pharmacy student when the cries or reedom broke out in Syria. She still had her parents and her big brother; she still had her home. She was even supposed to be meeting a boy to talk about marriage. Now Salama volunteers at a hospital in Homs, helping the wounded who flood through the doors. She knows that she should be thinking about leaving, but who will help the people o her beloved country i she doesn't? With her heart so conflicted, her mind has conjured a vision to spur her to action. His name is Khaw , and he haunts her nights with hallucinations o everything she has lost. But even with Khaw pressing her to leave, when she crosses paths with Kenan, the boy she was supposed to meet on that ate ul day, she starts to doubt her resolve in leaving home at all. Soon, Salama must learn to see the events around her or what they truly are-not a war, but a revolution-and decide how she, too, will cry or Syria's reedom.

The chances of individuals who are fated to cross paths in this vast world is a mere one in seven billion. In that rare change, just moments before a catastrophic explosion, the lives of Song Ran, a news reporter, and Li Zan, an explosive engineer, become suddenly intertwined by a red thread. Through moments of danger, where it seems as though everything could been blown up, or the ensuing traumas, they remain steadfast in their silent support and protection of one another. On the ruined land by bombs and bullets, he shows her the white olive tree. That white color symbolizes tragedy and loss, but is also the color of tenderness and purity, like their love. "The white olive tree under the clear blue sky, and with them being together proves that everything is not a dream." Have you ever thought what can you do in five seconds? Pour a cup of water, take a walk, say what you want to say, read a page of a book? In five seconds, my heart fills with your image. It's me, I'm Ran-Ran. No one is a lonely island, except for you. That day, through the window, he saw a white olive tree on that vast and empty field. I have been to many places and met a lot of faces, but you are the gentlest soul in my heart. - *Author's note: The countries, regions, and people involved in this novel are purely fiction, not based on any real events or people. *Translator's note: This is not my original work, I'm just translating this novel to the best of my ability to bring this novel to interested readers. Please excuse any errors/mistakes along the way. This is an ongoing translation as the chapters are long and detailed, please be patient.