A BOOKLIST BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR * An impossible first love. A girl caught between two worlds. A country on the verge of chaos. "Epic and almost surreal in scope . [A] fast-paced whirlwind of startling images, action, and heartfelt emotion."--NPR "A riveting, historically accurate, coming-of-age tale of gutsy survival, self-sacrifice, and love."-- Booklist , starred review It is 1984, and fifteen-year-old Maya is on her way to India with her father. She carries with her the ashes of her mother, who recently committed suicide, and arrives in Delhi on the eve of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination and one of the bloodiest riots in the country's history.

Maya is separated from her father and must rely upon the help of a young man she's just met--the mysterious, kindhearted Sandeep--if she is to stay alive and make it home. But as her love for Sandeep begins to blossom, Maya must face the truth about her painful adolescence . if she's ever to imagine her future.