It is not long before the reader of Endings discovers that drought is not just an occasional but an enduring condition faced by a community on the edge of the desert, the village of al-Tiba. The exact location of this village remains undisclosed, thus al-Tiba becomes a symbol for all villages facing nature unaided by modern technology. We hear of Abu Zaku, the village carpenter, of the Mukhtar, and above all of 'Assaf and his dog, and of the creatures that share the life of the community. But it is the people of al-Tiba as a group who discuss and argue about their past, present, and future, and the forces of change. Endings is striking not only for its setting and narrative style, but for being a commentary on the emergence of the modern city and its urban middle class.