PART I of Shiraz and Beyond is a collection of letters written to her parents by a young American mother living in Iran. She, together with her American husband and their four small children, lived there for 30 months before the 1979 Revolution. She shares numerous accounts, anecdotes and short stories about what life was like after having left the comforts of suburban Philadelphia to live in the shadow of the vast Persian Empire that had been conquered 2300 years ago by the forces of Alexander the Great.

Her story begins with the challenges of relocating and then living in the town of Shiraz where she learned enough Farsi to bargain with confidence at the bazaars and to communicate with taxi drivers. She alludes to how she retained her devotion to the Catholic faith in a predominantly Muslim country.

Her husband, a civil engineer, commuted daily to a job to build irrigation canals and a large dam located 60 miles away. After one year, the family moved to the construction camp, where she was the only American woman.

She writes about unforgettable experiences, including visits to the incredible remains of Persepolis had once been the center of the ancient Persian Empire; attending a wedding in a neighboring village; drinking tea in the tents of the colorful nomads; and becoming friends with many people from various parts of the world. She goes on to describe the challenges experienced in a less developed country.

In PART II, the author writes about her rigorous and adventurous 16-day overland journey in Iran made 30 years after having lived there. Besides illustrating many of the country's ancient landmarks in areas less traveled, she reflects on the results of the modern-day political upheaval. She discovers that the exceptional friendliness of the average Iranian toward Americans had not diminished after three decades.