"Stars Over the Desert traces the exploits of Izzy, a rather naive, innocent Catalan villager, who flees the clutches of his traditional family to discover the rest of the world in all its strangeness and vitality. He faces personal and economic hardship as he seeks jobs and fights off the loneliness of the big city.
Izzy finally finds fulfilling work as a clerk in a fruit shop run by Rocky, an aging adventurer. Rocky encourages him to find a wife, settle down and start a family for the emotional rewards that Rocky himself never enjoyed in his vagabond life. Rocky introduces Izzy to several promising lady clients, all of whom leave Izzy dizzy and confused by their hilariously outlandish ways. Here the novel becomes very funny indeed.
Finally Izzy's quest for the perfect wife focuses on Amina, an immigrant girl shrouded in mystery who walks by the shop every day. He sets out to learn more about her by stalking her every move, until he finally runs her to ground in 'The Mutes Café' in one of the shabby quarters of the city. When he enters the café he is faced with an even stranger cast of characters.
Amina's family are traditionalist immigrants from North Africa who want their daughter to marry within their own community. Izzy's attempts to get closer to her are rebuked by her family. He is forced to invent ways to be with her that border on 'magical realism'.
The conflict comes to the boil when he discovers that her family has pledged Amina in marriage against her wishes to an aged desert sheik already four times married. Izzy vows not to allow this to happen and willfully sets about forcing circumstances his way. The rest of the novel charts the hilarious and yet deeply committed actions of the hero as he fights to free his love from her hide-bound family. By forcing the issue, Izzy inevitably leads his love to a tragic end."
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