arab spring spread thru the middle east & syria
narrator leaves the syrian army to join the arab spring movement trying to bring democracy to syria
arab military cracks down on arab spring
syrian president & much of the syrian hierarchy is of the alawite sect & narrator is not
many young syrians discouraged by the crackdown join isis
the narrator does not. he joins a student democratic group
narrator is caught between syrian military & russian jets on one side & isis on the other
narrator self exiles himself to Turkey & becomes a refugee by asking for asylum at the Turkish border