To be loved is all Tina ever wanted. She never dreamed her prayers would be answered by the enemy.Aspirant Tina Novak, living on Europa's convent colony, has no place to call her own. First rejected by her father, now being sent away by Mother Superior, where can a young woman with no prospects go?The question is delayed by a Kalquorian invasion that takes the aspirants and nuns prisoner. The enemy Kalquorians are teetering on the brink of an extinction disaster, and Earther women are always welcome spoils of war.Chosen by the young and ambitious clan of Dramok Tukui, Imdiko Yorso, and Nobek Osopa, Tina can't imagine what her shattered future might bring. When she discovers the gentler side of the fierce Kalquorians, her fear of them becomes fear of losing them.Can it last? Or will they turn her away in the end, as everyone else has? When the war reaches its unthinkable, violent end, Earther and Kalquorian alike find their lives altered forever. With the lives of Tina's most vulnerable family members at stake, she and Clan Tukui must set aside what they thought they wanted and embrace what's possible.