Set in Cairo in the aftermath of the Six-Day War of 1967, Love in the Rainintroduces us to an assortment of characters who, each in his or her ownway, comes face to face with the questions raised by human weakness andmisfortune. The war and its casualties, as well as people's foibles and thetragedies they create for themselves, raise existential questions about theexistence of God, whether there is really order in the universe, and whatcertainty can be had not only militarily, but economically, socially andmorally.In a frank, sensitive treatment of everything from patriotism toprostitution, homosexuality and lesbianism, Love in the Rain presents astruggle between "old" and "new" in the realm of moral values that leavesthe future in doubt. Through the dilemmas and heartbreaks faced by hisprotagonists, Mahfouz exposes the hypocrisy of those who condemn anybreach of sexual morality while turning a blind eye to violence, corruption,and oppression, double standards as applied to men's and women's sexuality,and the folly of an exclusive focus on sexual morals without reference toother aspects of human character.