It is Saint Germain, 1682, and Protestant Souveraine is the wife of a violent alcoholic. Power-crazed Louis XIV presides over religious strife, sanctioning terror in Paris. Threatened on all sides, Souveraine's submission is vital for survival. Desperate to escape from a life without meaning, she finds comfort in the arms of handsome Jacques. However, when she almost dies in a fire, she has no choice but to confront the truth about those who crave power and those who yield willingly, as well as take responsibility for her own descent into darkness.Driven by a mother's love for her children, Souveraine must overcome her deepest childhood shame if she is to survive. Set against the backdrop of pre-enlightenment France, can the heroine escape conversion, free herself from coercion and, more importantly, will she ever discover the gift that tyranny bestows?