The eldest of seven children born low-caste in rural India, Mamta is abused and rejected by a father who can see no reason to "water someone else's garden" until a husband is found for her. Seeking escape in matrimony, Mamta is soon forced to flee her village and the horrors of her arranged marriage to the bustle of a small city, where she struggles to find a precarious state of acceptance and make peace with her past.

Originally published: Great Britain : HarperPress, 2010. Includes "Something spendid", a word from the author and "Learn the truth", things to think about discussion questions.