11th century North Africa.
Hela has powers too strong for a child - both to feel the pain of those around her and to heal them.
But when she is given a mysterious cup by a slave woman, its powers overtake her life, forcing her into a vow she cannot hope to keep.
Trapped by her vow, Hela loses one chance after another to love and be loved.
Meanwhile in her household a child is growing into a woman who will become famous throughout the Muslim world.
First in the four-book Moroccan Empire series.