On a deserted train platform in New York City, the burden of true valor falls on a young daughter's small shoulders. After her mother makes her promise she will never be a victim of her circumstances, she abandons the little girl, leaving her to walk alone through life. Karisma is a blank slate. Her destiny is unknown.
Years later, Karisma is riding the A train with other vagrants; a mendicant priest; and her sister, Pam, when she feels a man observing her with an interest that is anything but casual. Although she finds it perplexing, Karisma has no idea that the mysterious man has been secretly watching her for a few days-and that he has already crafted an ingenious plan to help alleviate her challenging circumstances. But when the man who claims to be a recruiter from Princeton begins a conversation with Karisma, everything changes. He knows her name, and he knows she is a genius.
In this compelling tale, a young woman is trapped between becoming a victim of her circumstances and the life her mother dreamed of for her. As she embarks onto a journey through time, she must decide whether to walk into the darkness of self-destruction or into the light of a new life.