Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country’s vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of a powerful Japanese businessman. A famous American opera diva entertains the international guests. It is a night out of a fairy tale—until a band of gun-wielding terrorists breaks in through the air-conditioning vents and takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario turns into something quite different—as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds...people from different countries and continents become compatriots...and passionate, ill-fated love blooms on unlikely soil.

" Ann Patchett is an elegant and lyrical writer. "—USA Today