In 2015 idealistic doctor Shakira Boothe bundles her young son Isaac into her car but this is not a family outing. Like Jalal Hussein and his friend Ziyaad and radicalized teenager Ushna Kaleel they are going to Turkey to cross into Syria and join ISIS. On arrival the two lads are welcomed by friendly 'brothers' whilst the women with Isaac are taken to a purdah, overseen by American den mother Umm Walid, where they are told their only contact with men will be through arranged marriages. All are told to cut all links with home. Jalal and Ziyaad join other European jihadists at a training camp in Raqqah, where Jalal is unnerved by footage of ISIS murders and is told that martyrdom is considered the ultimate accolade. All the new-comers must commit to the notion that they are there to glorify Allah. Written by don @ minifie-1

Ushna is shocked to see a woman being beaten for talking to a man in the street whilst Shakira outwits Walid in order to work in the hospital but even the sympathetic Dr Rabia only lets her treat women patients. Jalal breaks the despotic rules by ringing his mother, who has already lost one son in ISIS but his unit is hit by a drone strike, claiming a casualty and Shakira finds herself overwhelmed treating the victims of a barrel bomb. Witnessing the murder of a suspected infiltrator begins to turn Jalal, especially when told his brother was executed as a traitor whilst Shakira also doubts the legitimacy of her proposed spouse. Written by don @ minifie-1

Shakira is taken to meet her prospective husband Abu Akram and told it will ensure she secures her job at the hospital but Isaac is not happy about it. As a result she asks kindly Dr Rabia, who is hiding his homosexuality, to marry her and he consents but she is worried that Isaac is being trained to fight. Meanwhile Ushna marries a man whose language she cannot speak but he dies in battle. Jalal is taken to see captured Yazidi women being sold as sex slaves, which appalls him so he buys Ibtisan and her little girl Narin but treats them decently as house servants. His faith in ISIS is further diminished after witnessing the senseless massacre of Shiite villagers and the sacrifice made by the zealous Ziyaad. Written by don @ minifie-1

Whilst Ushna returns to the purdah, newly-widowed and pregnant, the wounded Jalal is patched up by Shakira and Dr Rabia and returns home where Ibitsam recounts her horrifying experiences. Increasingly sickened by watching the torture and mock executions of captive - plus a visit from his anguished father - Jalal sets out to help Ibitsam and Narin to escape but the bid ends in tragedy. Likewise Shakira, following Dr Rabia's mysterious death and terrified by Isaac's indoctrination as a child soldier, plans to leave Syria and flee to Europe though her home-coming is not exactly welcoming and she is offered a deal to save herself and her son. Written by don @ minifie-1