Forced to leave the University of Baghdad when the Americans invade Iraq, a young man returns to his small desert village home, where he witnesses three events that transform him. First, American soldiers at a checkpoint kill the benign and beloved "village idiot", then an American plane bombs a wedding. Finally, soldiers looking for terrorists come to his own home and humiliate his father in front of the terrified family.

Consumed by the desire to avenge this unspeakable act, the youth leaves for the city, where he is taken in by a radical group. After proving his mettle by participating in several attacks, he is assigned a super-secret mission that will take him to London. As the time approaches, he struggles to reconcile his mission with his moral principles.

A masterful look at the effects of violence on ordinary people, The Sirens of Baghdad explores the depths of human nature as it confronts the most horrific circumstances.

YASMINA KHADRA is a pen name of Algerian army officer Mohammed Moulessehoul, who is the author of three other books published in English: The Swallows of Kabul, In the Name of God, and Wolf Dreams. He took the feminine pseudonym to avoid submitting his manuscripts for approval by military censors while he was still in the army. He lives in France.