Plot Summary

The novel begins as poet Ka returns to Kars, Turkey. He meets up with an old flame Ipek and they begin a short lived romance. Ka meets Muhtar, Ipeks ex-husband, Blue, a radical muslim, and Kadife, Ipek's sister. After a bit of drama concerning the actions of young Islamic women removing their headscarves, Ka attends a theatrical production at the National Theater. Violence breaks out and his friend Necip is killed. Ka meets with Sunaiy Zaim, a leader of the Nationalist group and actor at the National Theater. He later negotiated an agreement with Sunaiy Zaim to release Blue after he is arrested. The deal consists of Kadife acting in a play and removing her head scarf. Kadife agrees to do so on television. Later, Ka and Ipek agree to leave Turkey together. However, before they are about to leave, they learn that Blue was killed. Ipek decides to go to the theater to try to stop Kadife from performing in the play and Ka leaves alone as the snowfall begins to slow. This novel has a lot of relationships through which characters are connected by terms you wouldn't normally think of.