But there's been a terrible mistake. The husband chosen for her is too young, and he's very ill. And as tradition dictates, it's too late to turn back. On her wedding day, Koly's fate is sealed. Her future, it would seem, is lost.

Alive with the crush of marketplace crowds, the thick smell of funeral garlands, the cooling rush of the holy river Ganges, and the sting of injustice as a girl's life is forsaken, master storyteller Gloria Whelan transports readers into the heart of a gripping tale of hope. Here is a story of one rare young woman who, by standing against the powerful current of tradition, discovers her own remarkable future.