Dr. Lydia Giddens has taken an oath to do no harm. But now she stands in the shadows of her success, wondering if honoring her profession is even possible. Surely, her family doesn't expect her to jeopardize everything she's worked so hard for all of her life. No matter. Age, death, and declining health have forced her predecessors to appoint her to this new role. She isn't given a choice. As her powerful family's new matriarch, she understands how their world works. She's seen it up close, but she isn't sure if she has the strength or the prowess to take on such a complex responsibility. There are certain obligations, and certain risks, associated with this hierarchy. What were they thinking? she wonders. After all, she has her own challenges, battling an incurable disease that could take her life at any moment...