"A treasure of a novel about family, loyalty, and the cost of pursuing one’s dreams… Spellbinding."  —Fiona Davis, New York Times bestselling author of The Stolen Queen

A richly woven coming-of-age novel about family secrets, rebellion, and the inheritance of women’s resilience. 

Sixteen-year-old Deepa lives under the weight of her family’s expectations. After her mother’s sudden disappearance, she and her younger brother Avi are sent to live with their strict grandparents in Jaipur, where tradition rules and freedom feels out of reach. Everything changes when Deepa discovers kathak, an ancient dance that offers her liberation, and a hint of her mother’s mysterious past. 
 
Secretly learning kathak from a courtesan, Deepa risks everything to pursue her passion, defying her family’s rules and rigid societal norms. As she loses herself in dance, she uncovers long-buried family secrets—whispers of forbidden love, betrayal, and a legacy of resilience passed through generations of women. When her lessons are discovered, she must choose: the path laid out for her or the life—and art—that sets her soul on fire. Set against colonial India, this is a story of art, rebellion, and the bond between mothers and daughters.