He learns that despite her feelings, Zari won't be with him, and she makes excuses as for why. Pasha cuts forward in time to his stay at a mental ward, struggling to piece together why he can't think straight, nor can he remember how he ended up institutionalized.īack in the present, Pasha is becoming more outspoken, sometimes forgetting the consequences for getting caught by SAVAK. He is executed by the state for opposing the government. One of the officers tells Zari's family that the man is to be executed, and the family must pay the price of the bullet which will kill him. They infiltrate Zari's home, beat Doctor nearly to death as an example, and then they drag him away. Pasha's friendship with Zari continues to grow, and it seems that Zari wants to be with Pasha as badly as Pasha wants to be with her, but one day, Pasha unknowingly leads SAVAK to Doctor. That attracts the attention of SAVAK, Iran's intelligence agency, who puts Doctor on their hit list, constantly seeking to remove him from his role in the community as a political disturbance, probably by killing him or imprisoning him on trumped up charges. He tells of his adoration for the girl next door, Zari, but Zari is betrothed to Doctor, Pasha's mentor.ĭoctor is a university student who moonlights as a political activist. One day, on the rooftops where Pasha and his friend Ahmed sit up and talk, Pasha shares his dreams of becoming a professional wrestler. This story takes place in Tehran, Iran, where 17-year-old Pasha Shahed lives. Written by people who wish to remain anonymous

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Rooftops of Tehran by Mahbod Seraji