Sylvie is lilving in the past. Or is it the future? She has no idea, because her village doesn't keep track of time. Nor does it have a name. Nine elders run things, their laws final. When the elders inform her that she is next on the list to participate in "THE RITUAL", panic takes over. She isn't ready to be put on display, nor is she prepared to have a baby. An earthquake saves her from this fate, but at the same time it wipes out the village and everyone in it—all except her. Outside the boundaries she's never gone past, lies a world she knows nothing about. And when she has a vision from what can only be a goddess, she's more than a little mystified. "Find the tree'" the woman's voice intones. What tree? Where?