For generations, as dawn touched the River of Gold and light hit the fertile valleys of southern France, the young men of the Kindred and the Norakamo tribes raided each other's horse herds. But when a full-blown war threatened both tribes' very existence, a taboo-breaking alliance was forged to survive this common enemy. To seal it, Alane, the Norakamo chief's daughter, was promised in marriage to Nardo, the Kindred chief's son.

Though they worship the same god, their ways are very different--especially for the proud and beautiful Alane, who fights against her forced union with Nardo. But she soon discovers that she can no longer resist the yearnings of her heart for this extraordinary man. And now Alane and Nardo must struggle to rally their people to defend their lands as they, too, must confront their own intense conflicts, ambitions and desires. For if their marriage cannot last, neither will their tribes...