Aïcha married Saïd when she was 18. But Saïd, like his brothers, works in Tunis for 11 months of the year. His wife, like the other married women, remains in Djerba, in a household run by his mother, as is the tradition. On her wedding night, Aïcha speaks out of her desire to break with the tradition and go to live with Saïd in Tunis. On grounds of the precariousness of his life there, he refuses. To earn the money necessary for the trip, Aïcha suggests selling the beautiful carpets she weaves. He agrees to this, but adds another condition : to earn the right to live with him in Tunis, first she must bear him a son. For the first few years, the return of the men (" The Season of Men ") is experienced as a kind of festivity : the women look forward to it like a new honeymoon. But Aïcha will spend many years waiting for " The Season of Men ", knotting the carpets that will enrich Saïd and stifle their lives. Constantly exposed to the criticism of her domineering and interfering mother-in-law, Aïcha wants to run away.