(The Prairies Book Review *****) "Original and creative ... a compelling story... a celebration of feminine power... this story will stay with readers long after the final page."

What happens when your life's training is about "duty" and then the very foundations of your life are taken away?

Ellen's courageous, impetuous, a dreamer, and not very ambitious. Her father, Si'Empra's elected ruler, dies and her brother takes his place. He's brutal and abusive. She escapes from him into the mountains, determined to find another life for herself. But it only takes a few weeks to discover there's no such thing as freedom for her. She's tightly bound to the symbiotic relationships that keep Si'Empra from disappearing. She's young. She thinks fixing at least one problem will help – a bit. Instead, she plunges Si'Empra and herself into a dark downward spiral, which only she can put to rights ... or can she?