A young mother in India fights prejudice and persecution in this emotional, suspenseful novel by the author of The Dowry Bride and The Sari Shop Widow.

It’s a girl! For most young couples, news of their unborn child’s gender brings joyful anticipation. Not so for Isha Tilak and her husband, Nikhil. They already have a beloved daughter, but Nikhil’s parents, hard-wired to favor male children above all, coldly reject little Priya at every turn. Vain and selfish, they see female grandchildren as burdens—as curses instead of blessings—and readily ignore the one growing in Isha’s belly. Even the obstetrician agrees, going so far as to suggest the unthinkable, throwing Nikhil into a rage—and changing Isha’s life forever . . .