Set in the Qanatir prison in 20th-century Egypt, Woman at Point Zero is the story of the prison’s most infamous prisoner, a young woman named Firdaus. Sentenced to death by hanging for killing her pimp, Firdaus shares her story with a psychiatrist a few hours before she is hung.
Firdaus grew up poor in a rural village. Her father was a lying, greedy man who beat his wife and took food from the mouths of his children. Her mother mostly cared about Firdaus’s father and treated her children as afterthoughts. She did make sure to circumcise Firdaus when the young girl started asking questions about where babies come from. Sickness is rampant in their town, and when both of Firdaus’s parents pass away, her uncle comes and takes her to live with him in Cairo.
In Cairo, Firdaus flourishes despite her uncle continually sexually assaulting her. She excels at school and receives great grades. Eventually, her uncle marries, and his new wife convinces him to send Firdaus to boarding school. There, Firdaus makes new friends and grows attached to her teacher, Ms. Iqbal, but nothing comes of it. Firdaus graduates second in her class and receives her secondary school certificate.
When Firdaus returns to her uncle’s home, much has changed. Her uncle and his wife have several children now, and there’s no room for her in their household for her. She wants to find work using her secondary school certificate, but her uncle claims that’s impossible. Her aunt-in-law convinces her uncle that Firdaus should marry Sheikh Mahmoud, a man 40 years older than she. Firdaus rejects this idea and runs away, but she gets frightened being in the streets alone and returns to her uncle’s house the same day. Shortly after this, she is married to Sheikh Mahmoud.
The Sheikh is miserly, gross, and abusive to Firdaus. One day, he beats her so badly that she runs to her uncle’s house for protection. Her uncle and aunt-in-law tell her that all husbands beat their wives, and they take her back to Sheikh Mahmoud’s house immediately. The Sheikh is furious and meaner than ever to Firdaus. Finally, he beats her so badly that she bleeds; she runs away again, this time to the streets.
Whilst roaming the streets, Firdaus meets a man named Bayoumi, who owns a coffee shop. At first, Bayoumi is kind and calm. He offers Firdaus a place to stay and promises to help her find work. This is a lie, and once Firdaus confronts him and tries to leave, Bayoumi rapes her and sells her body to his friends. One day, she finally escapes and flees to the bank of the Nile River. Sitting there, she meets Sharifa Salah el Dine, a successful prostitute.
Sharifa takes Firdaus under her wing and teaches her to have self-worth. Unfortunately, she also arranges sex clients for Firdaus but doesn’t give her any of the earnings. Fawzy, Sharifa’s pimp, tells Firdaus of Sharifa’s betrayal. Firdaus sneaks out of Sharifa’s house and wanders the streets once again until a man picks her up. When the man pays Firdaus after they have sex, it opens Firdaus’s eyes to the truth. She realizes that she can take care of herself after all.
Firdaus becomes a successful prostitute, but a man named Di’aa makes her question her life when he tells her she’s not a respectable woman. Firdaus quits being a prostitute and using her secondary school certificate to get a job at a company firm. At the firm, she sees how the female employees prostrate themselves to the male bosses to get raises and maintain their status. She realizes that all women are prostitutes in some way—some are just paid more and have more freedom.
While at the firm, Firdaus falls in love with a coworker named Ibrahim. He promises he loves her too, but he’s lying in order to have sex with her. Firdaus discovers the truth when he gets engaged to the chairman’s daughter. Heartbroken, Firdaus realizes that all men are liars and users. She returns to prostitution, now a hardened businesswoman, and becomes extremely successful. She becomes so successful that she attracts the attention of Marzouk, a powerful and dangerous pimp.
Marzouk forces Firdaus into making him her pimp and takes most of her earnings. He also rapes and beats her. One day, Firdaus is fed up, and she attempts to leave Marzouk. He slaps her across the face, and she slaps him back. He starts to reach for his knife, but Firdaus is quicker and manages to grab it from him. She stabs him to death and realizes that she no longer has fear. She escapes to the streets once more.
In the streets, Firdaus walks with her head held high. She attracts the attention of a wealthy Arab prince, who agrees to pay her two thousand pounds for sex. As they have sex, the prince annoys Firdaus, so she tears up the money he gives her. She then tells him that she is a killer who has no qualms about killing a man. Terrified, the prince calls the police, who take Firdaus away.
Back at the prison, the psychiatrist is floored by Firdaus’s story. Before she can say anything, the guards come and take Firdaus away for her sentencing. The psychiatrist leaves the prison and sits in her car, awash in feelings. She realizes that Firdaus is the most courageous person she has ever met.
