Empowered by a dream, Manaha steps before the village fire of a small tribe of survivors. Against the will and taboos of her tribe, the old woman demands that the children hear the truth about their abandoned homelands, the arrival of the Son-of-the-Sun and the Great Dying that followed. A century earlier, the Spanish expedition of Hernando De Soto and his army of 350 conquistadors crossed the Mississippi River in June 1541. They brought with them devastating wars, old-world plagues, famines, cultural and religious upheaval. Now, Manaha fights to keep alive all that remains of the decimated ancient nations and their people with her nightly fireside stories. “I was not only entertained by this book, but educated about a period of history of which I knew nothing.” - Helen Hollick, Managing Editor - Historical Novel Society (Editorial Choice)