The Stationery Shop in Tehran is a love story, but it is not concerned with only the original love affair between the protagonists. Instead, the novel explores the various nuances in different forms of love and marriage, tracing how both Roya and Bahman share an enduring youthful passion, and yet continue to experience other satisfying forms of love during the rest of their lives with other people.

Roya and Bahman fall passionately in love at first sight and are both convinced that they are meant to enjoy a bright future together. However, their relationship is abruptly interrupted by a combination of personal and historical factors, and they do not have an opportunity to spend time together again for 60 years. When they are finally reunited, Roya is grateful for the intensity and endurance of their love, despite how little time they have effectively had together. Their brief, happy period together in Tehran has remained with her in her memory throughout her life, so in a sense they have never really been apart. Likewise, Bahman is a devoted husband to Shahla, while continuing to write letters to Roya and remaining full of passion for her even during their long decades of separation.