This first book in The Zion Chronicles vividly portrays the intensestruggle of the Jewish people in the aftermath of the Holocaust and the forces, within andwithout, which engulf the Middle East in conflict and controversy even today. Ellie Warne, a young American photojournalist, finds herself in theJerusalem of 1947. She unwittingly becomes a pawn in a political chess game when shephotographs some ancient scrolls discovered by Bedouins. Who would guess that a fewinnocent photos could entangle her in such a desperate web of intrigue and peril? David Meyer seems to love her dearly, but Moshe Sachar has a purpose andcommitment in life that intrigues her more than she can say. Through it all, Elliediscovers a people, a spirit and a person who profoundly change the direction of her life.