Wed to a wealthy older man when she was just a girl, Lahsin Yew runs away from her abusive home to find a new life. At 17, she's about to enter her Second Passage, when her Flair - and perhaps her HeartMate - will be revealed. Lahsin finds sanctuary in a secret garden, where she meets Tinne Holly. Though he is her HeartMate, he cannot tell her, and her troubled past prevents her from trusting any man. Pretending to have found her by chance, Tinne helps her through the Second Passage, but when the truth is revealed can she forgive his deception?