Tea Beneath the Palms

Ivana, a seventy-year-old housewife whose favorite hobby is painting, looks forward to going on a trip with her husband, Conrad, who is five years older and has finally decided to retire. However, Conrad, with a suitcase in his hand, tells Ivana that he is leaving her for another woman.
Ivana’s world collapses. Her daughters try to comfort her, yet they have their own families and obligations, and Ivana feels increasingly lonely and scared.
When her children and friends are away for the holidays, she takes a trip as well. She goes to Egypt, traveling to the Sinai desert, where she meets a Bedouin guide named Seb. After struggling with herself and Seb’s philosophy about life, along with additional disappointments at home, she stays with him for almost ten years in the desert, leading a nomadic life.
After Seb’s death, Ivana’s daughters force her to come home. Painting helps her overcome the pain she feels after losing Seb and the desert she loved so much.