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January–April 1979
Young Marjane learns that her grandfather was a prince who was imprisoned and tortured. -
Mid-1979
Marjane's Uncle Anoosh is arrested and executed on false charges of spying. -
Period: to
Marji's Introduction
Satrapi introduces herself to the reader and makes note that it is post-Islamic Revolution, when she was 10.
Marjane's school is segregated along gender lines, and she is forced to wear a veil. -
September 22, 1980
Iraq invades Iran, and bombs them regularly. Marjane's neighbor's building is destroyed. -
The Dowry
Realizing that if her neighbor can die she can too, Marji decides she has nothing to fear. She mouths off at school and eventually gets expelled. -
The Soup
Her parents decide that Marji is too independent and intelligent to live in Iran (this is a good thing), so they send her to be educated in Vienna. In Vienna, Marjane has trouble acclimating—the culture is just so different. -
Moving in
Marjane experiments with sex, drugs, finding friends, and losing them; she also lives in a variety of different apartments. -
The comeback of the Veil
Eventually she becomes so homesick that she gets super depressed and starts sleeping on the streets. This near-death experience is a wake-up call, which sends Marjane back to her support system: her family in Iran.
She's glad to see her family, but giving up her freedom kind of sucks. She also doesn't want to admit what a hard time she had in Vienna, so she gets more depressed and tries to kill herself. -
The Story of a Return
Marjane returns to Western Europe, and never lives in Iran again. -
Reminder to Herself
Believing she was saved by an act of God, Marjane tries living her own life once again. She becomes more outspoken, she gets married, and then—when it feels right—she gets divorced. However, she does find her identity... and her identity is not compatible with living under the oppressive Iranian regime.
