The bestselling epic novel of family, treachery, rivalry, religious fervour & the turbulent fate of a royal African dynasty. It is 1797 & the African kingdom of Segu, born of blood & violence, is at the height of its power. Yet Dousika Traore, the king`s most trusted advisor, feels nothing but dread. Change is coming. From the East, a new religion, Islam. From the West, the slave trade. These forces will tear his country, his village & the lives of his beloved sons apart, in Maryse Conde`s glittering epic.