"The Thorny Rose" challenges Martha Ryan with the terror of an accident and ends with her acceptance of being terrified as a choice. In between she learns to deal with terror foisted on her while learning from others who face the challenges of life. Though she doesn't know it, a tournament of Olympiads turns her life upside down and keeps her on the trail of Dan Rose by slipping the surly bonds of earth and diving to the depths of the Gulf of Mexico. Finding the rose among the thorns takes training.