Anthony Shadid is an American of Lebanese decent who sought and found, if not his family\\\\\\\'s roots, at least his ancestral home that he painstakingly restored. Along the way he learned the customs and personality of the peoples in his sphere, both family and strangers. Shadid restored not only the home, but the land, the olive trees became of special significance to Shadid - a link to the past while starting a new tradition.
The story weaves ancestor stories with Shadid\\\\\\\'s tribulations restoring the home.
As with the house restoration, the reader needs to be there at the end of the book to truly appreciate the beauty of the work done.