In Cairo on her own as she waits for her husband, Juliette finds herself caught in a whirlwind romance with his friend Tareq, a retired cop. As Tareq escorts Juliette around the city, they find themselves in the middle of a brief affair that catches them both unawares.

Cecilia is a waitress in New Jersey, living a dreary life during the Great Depression. Her only escape from her mudane reality is the movie theatre. After losing her job, Cecilia goes to see ‘The Purple Rose of Cairo’ in hopes of raising her spirits, where she watches dashing archaeologist Tom Baxter time and again.

Twenty-five years ago Adib (Alexander Siddig, Syriana, Cairo Time), a promising young officer in the Syrian military police, suddenly left Damascus under suspicious circumstances. Abandoning the love of his life Fatima (Marisa Tomei, The Wrestler, The Ides of March), he made his way to Canada and wiped the slate clean. With a beautiful wife, two grown daughters, and a great job in Toronto, Adib is confident he s built a successful life from scratch. But when his daughter Muna suddenly disappears in Damascus, his past threatens to violently catch up to him. Teaming up with a Canadian emissary (Joshua Jackson, Fringe), Adib must now confront the turmoil he thought he left behind so many years ago in order to find Muna.