In the heart of ancient Persia, the empire's Jewish citizens face an ominous edict that threatens their very existence. Roxannah, the daughter of an impoverished Persian lord, is devastated by the news but feels helpless to come to the aid of her Jewish friends. Desperate to support her family, Roxannah approaches the royal physician, Adin--the man whose kind eyes haunt her--and seeks his help to find employment in Queen Esther's kitchens. In the opulent palace of Susa, Roxannah tries to survive the spiteful ploys of the other cooks as she ascends through the ranks. Her loyalty earns her the trust and friendship of Queen Esther, who is navigating dangerous politics with wisdom and grace. When Roxannah and Adin uncover a sinister plot against Amestris, the king's most powerful wife and Esther's archenemy, they find themselves tasked with the impossible job of discovering the culprit. As secrets unravel and alliances are tested, the fate of Esther's reign hangs in the balance. "A tender and touching tale. Tessa Afshar has given us two wonderfully charming heroines." -- Angela Hunt , New York Times bestselling author of The Emissaries series Tessa Afshar was voted New Author of the Year by the Family Fiction sponsored Reader's Choice Award 2011 for her novel Pearl in the Sand. She was born in Iran, lived there for the first fourteen years of her life, and attended an English boarding school for girls before moving to the United States permanently. Her conversion to Christianity in her twenties changed the course of her life forever. She an MDiv from Yale University where she served as co-chair of the Evangelical Fellowship at the Divinity School. She has spent the last twelve years in full- and part-time Christian work.