A Very Large Expanse of Sea

It`s 2002, a year after 9/11, and Shirin has just started at yet another new high school. It`s an extremely turbulent time politically, but especially so for a sixteen-year-old Muslim girl who`s tired of being stereotyped. Shirin is never surprised by how horrible people can be. She`s tired of the rude stares, the degrading comments - even the physical violence she endures as a result of her race, her religion, and the hijab she wears every day. Shirin drowns her frustrations in music and spends her afternoons break-dancing with her brother. But then she meets Ocean James. He`s the first person in forever who really seems to want to get to know her. It terrifies her -they seem to come from two irreconcilable worlds - and Shirin has had her guard up against the world for so long that she`s not sure she`ll ever be able to let it down.