This collection combines whimsical and surreal illustrations with engaging, intimate encounters that explore the depths of the human experience. Unique and diverse in setting, and with touches of magical realism, these nine stories will tug at the strings of the wandering, romantic heart, setting it delightfully ablaze. Included is a story about a nun who finds herself stranded in the Mexican desert with nothing but a few cobs of corn and a stray horse, a story of a young Londoner who travels to Vancouver where a handsome stranger entices her to take a leap into the unknown, and a story told from the stunning perspective of a slave who, as a child, witnesses the brutal murder of her mother, and survives through her connection to her brother and the natural world. The compelling storytelling takes readers across the world and through the ages, with remarkable insight and soul-moving moments, when paths cross and time unfolds. The author's language, imagery, and attention to detail plunge the reader into these memorable lives that include adventure, courage, love, loss, longing and all the hope in between.