Having sent the men off to rest after lunch, Iranian women gather over a cup of freshly brewed tea to indulge in their favorite pastime: heart-to-heart talk. They discuss arranged marriages, plastic surgery, sex, and the whims of men.

In "Embroideries", the celebrated artist and author of the cult graphic novel "Persepolis", Marjane Satrapi, retells stories heard from those dear to her: her mother, grandmother, aunt, friends, and neighbors. Uncompromisingly frank, comical, and invariably touching, these tales reveal the lengths to which women will go in pursuit of personal and family happiness.