A journalist descends into the dark underbelly of the Iranian holy city of Mashhad as she investigates the serial killings of sex workers by the so called "Spider Killer", who believes he is cleansing the streets of sinners.
1942, occupied Europe. Gilles Cremieux, a Belgian of Jewish origin, once in a concentration camp, pretends to be a Persian - for him this is the only opportunity to stay alive. This lie, indeed, saves him from being shot, but Gilles does not yet know what price he will have to pay for this salvation. German soldiers bring Gilles to Klaus Koch, a cook in a concentration camp who wants to leave for Iran and open a restaurant there as soon as the war ends. Koch is looking for a real Persian who will teach him how to speak Farsi. Thus begins the story of Gilles Cremier and Klaus Koch - a Jew and a German, a prisoner and a jailer, student and teacher.