The moving novel from the multi-million-bestselling author of the house of the spirits and the Japanese lover. Irene beltrán is a force to be reckoned with. As a magazine journalist – an unusual profession for a woman with her privileged upbringing – she is constantly challenging the oppressive regime. Her investigative partner is photographer Francisco leal, the son of impoverished Spanish Marxist émigrés. They are an inseparable team, and – despite Irene's engagement to an army captain – form a passionate connection. When an assignment leads them to uncover an unspeakable crime, they are determined to reveal the truth in a national overrun by terror and violence. Together they will risk everything for justice – and ultimately to embrace the passion that binds them.