October 1895 brought suffering, violence and death to Armenians living in eastern Turkey, their historic homeland. As refugees crowd Erzerum and a beloved bishop is deported, a Muslim Army captain and his father shelter their Christian Armenian neighbors — the Kavafian family — from the violence they think will come.

The strong friendship between the two families is strained after one of the Kavafian brothers dies a violent death. His widow is left with a tyrannical mother-in-law and the family must try to solve and avenge the murder. A child’s bravado, his brother’s determination and his sister’s resolve bring surprises, while his mother makes a decision that will change all their lives. Loyalty, murder, kidnapping and intrigue fill this fast-paced story that explores hard-to-answer questions about the nature of humanity and why we sometimes refuse to see what is coming.