In a land of falling blossoms and rising steel, one woman's fate is rewritten by the edge of a sword-and the quiet heart of a warrior.

Helena Montclair never imagined her father's final diplomatic journey would end in blood. Or that she, a stranger to sword and soil, would be the only one left alive.

Rescued by samurai and taken to a mountain village untouched by time, Helena is placed under the watchful care of Mariko-wise elder, healer, and widow to a great warrior. But not everyone welcomes her. Least of all Ujio Takahashi, the Daimyo's hatamoto, whose loyalty to tradition runs deeper than any blade.

Ordered to train the foreign girl in the ways of defense, Ujio is prepared for disobedience. What he finds instead is a flame that refuses to go out-a spirit unbowed by grief, and a woman who speaks his language with startling fluency and grace.

As cherry blossoms bloom and enemies gather beyond the mountains, Helena and Ujio find themselves caught between honor and longing, duty and desire. What begins in silence grows into something neither of them can name.

In a world on the brink of change, love may be the most dangerous rebellion of all.