On the Miami River of the 1880s, amid exotic tropical blooms, terrifying reptiles, and devastating storms, the settlers include one lonely, bewildered girl. Theena Theophilus, at home in the Everglades or on the bay, wants only to love and be loved. Fearing the taint of her mother's scandalous past, she strives to live a life of virtue and integrity, yet is pulled toward a love that can never be hers. From a girl too desperate to be wise she becomes, through pain and heartbreak, a woman who at last finds her honor and her dreams. Once again, Gretchen Craig presents a page-turning historical novel of insight and compassion. Theena and her sisters are flawed, engrossing, and totally believable.