A dedicated physician struggles to save lives in the basement of a partially constructed building slated to be a hospital called "the cave".

Armani Ballour is awoken suddenly in the middle of the night and told to go to the "cave" as a wave of injured people arrive for medical assistance. Dr. Armani treats people attacked with a nerve agent known as sarin.
Dr. Armani grew up and lived under "Assad's Syria" which was a one-party state that didn't tolerate opposition of any kind. After decades of being ruled under one family, the Syrian people felt it was time for a change in government. Armani struggles to run the "cave" as its director as the regime cuts of supplies as a result of its hold over her community. She is faced with electrical shutoffs, shortage of medical supplies, food and many other essential items needed to run a hospital. Despite her sorrow and hardships, Armani is determined not to be silenced, but tell her story through countless interviews.

I enjoyed this book and couldn't put it down. Armani is a brave woman who pursued her dream of being in the medical field. Armani's struggles to un a hospital with a constant flow of injured people is hard to imagine for those who have never experienced a shortage of basic medical necessities. The historical background of the Assad family and Armani's personal experience of living in an oppressed government adds to the depth to her story. I highly recommend this book for readers interested in the Syrian conflict. It is also a great read of Armani's courage to tell the world of her struggles of running a hospital under the regimes dictatorship. ( )