The prophet Almustafa has lived in the foreign city of Orphalese for 12 years and is about to board a ship which will carry him home. He is stopped by a group of people with whom he discusses topics such as life and the human condition. The book is divided into chapters dealing with love marriage children giving eating and drinking work joy and sorrow houses clothes buying and selling crime and punishment laws freedom reason and passion pain self-knowledge teaching friendship talking time good and evil prayer pleasure beauty religion and death.