These are the early 1900s. Gibran, a young painter and poet, arrives in Beirut and gets to know Skeikh Fares, a rich aristocrat who was a friend of his father's years before. The young man falls in love with his beautiful daughter, Salma, who is equally attracted to Gibran. But the local bishop disapproves of such a relationship and forces Salma to marry Mansoor Bey. Mansoor, who is a gambler and the lover of a dancer, soon deserts his home. Salma and Gibran meet again but their love remains platonic. They will be separated for ever when Salma dies giving birth to a stillborn child.—Guy Bellinger