"Emmeline and her friends have escaped to the tranquil Matisa valley, but trouble has followed them. The people of Matisa, once protected from predators by a local illness, are now dying in droves, and the attackers won't stay away. Soldiers of the realm are claiming the land for themselves, and in order to recover control and negotiate peace, Emmeline and the people of Matisa must search for a cure. In her dreams, Emmeline imagines running away, never to return, but she is not the frightened girl she once was. Now she will risk her life to assure the future that burns in her heart"--