With epic power, focusing on the sharpness and helplessness of its protagonists, the great Bosnian writer Dzevad Karahasan depicts how the rising religious fundamentalism destroys a flourishing era characterized by intellectual diversity and tolerance. Isfahan in the 11th century: An esteemed man unexpectedly dies, and the son of the deceased demands answers. The court astronomer Omar Khayyam also participates in the investigations and concludes that the man was poisoned. But what does he do with this truth now? Shortly thereafter, the horizon darkens. Court intrigues and social tensions threaten the empire from within, while Crusaders and Mongols pose a dangerous threat from outside. When the famous mathematician and poet Khayyam reflects on his life decades later, the empire has fallen apart. A terrorist organization, led.