Publisher's Synopsis
Have you ever heard of the Acllas? Not many people have, neither had the protagonist of this novel. In a gathering storm, with cherry blossoms swirling around the Tidal Basin, astrophysicist JOANNA NICKELS-STEWART, races to meet her future father-in-law, a powerful Southern senator, who confronts her with a mystery that requires her to put her present life on "hold" and journey to Peru to find answers. While there, she interrupts the search to fulfill a promise made to a family member to visit an elderly cloistered nun in a 16th Century monastery in Cuzco. As a result, Joanna stumbles upon an even greater mystery-involving Acllas, the so-called Incan Virgins of the Sun-that has implications for her life she could never have imagined. The reader is invited to join her on an adventure that evolves into ever-broadening contexts of experience, ending with stunning insights into her life, ancient astronomy, and the mystery surrounding Machu Picchu.
