AN EXQUISITE HISTORICAL EPIC OF LOVE, DESTINY, AND FEMALE RESILIENCE IN MEDIEVAL ANDALUSIA. In the 11th century, amidst the volatile rise and fall of Islamic Spain, a young Egyptian girl named Itimad al-Rumaikiyya is separated from her family during their journey from Egypt to Andalusia. Enduring captivity and desert exile, the gifted young poetess crosses paths with a wandering bard before fate delivers her to the court of Seville and into the arms of Prince Muhammad ibn Abbad. Rising from captive to queen, Itimad becomes a central figure in one of history’s most celebrated love stories-sharing her husband’s highest triumphs and deepest downfalls amidst court intrigue and devastating wars between the Taifa kingdoms. Blending meticulous historical detail with luminous fiction, Shirin Sami delivers a rich, emotionally gripping epic about ambition, love, and a woman’s fierce courage in shaping her own destiny.