The Scattered Pearls Belt is a string of habitats under tight military rule . . .
where the powerful have become all too comfortable in their positions, and their corruption. But change is coming, with the arrival of Quynh: the mysterious and enigmatic Alchemist of Streams and Hills.
To Minh, daughter of the ruling prefect of the Belt, Quynh represents a chance for escape. To Hoa, a destitute engineer, Quynh has a mysterious link to her own past .
. . and holds a deeper, more sensual appeal.
But Quynh has her own secret history, and a plan for the ruling class of the Belt. A plan that will tear open old wounds, shake the heavens, and may well consume her.
