The story follows resourceful, foul-mouthed, and spirited Jmiaa Bent Larbi who moves in the 1990s with her husband Hamid, who ends up pimping her out to men to raise money for his many fruitless business schemes.[6] "Many remarkable characters people the novel in addition to Jmiaa: Halima, a sullen, Quran-studying prostitute; Samira, a loyal friend and colleague of Jmiaa’s; Houcine, the intimidating pimp who keeps them all safe; Jmiaa’s mother, with whom Jmiaa leaves her daughter; and the clients who come and go. Jmiaa’s Casablanca is full of corrupt cops and exploitative men who take advantage of the prostitutes’ vulnerability, but it is also full of friendship, laughter, and triumph."[6]