In the Persian town of Susa, Lilah dreams of marrying her Persian lover and childhood sweetheart, Antinoes, but her brother Ezra refuses to approve of their union since Antinoes is not a Jew. As the story unfolds, Lilah becomes the unlikely instrument of gaining royal approval for the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the holy city, but once there, Ezra orders all non-Jewish wives and children driven away; a horrified Lilah repudiates her brother and leaves with them.