Emelda is floating down the river with her children, fleeing escalating tensions in Antioch's capital city. They are moving to the birthplace of the country, where her husband, William's, ancestor Thomas Holcomb first unified the country through diplomacy and, quite possibly, a deal with a dark power. As, back in the city, the government is being violently toppled, the family finds safety, but only for a moment, as darkness finds them in the form of revolutionary fighters and ghost children who are coming out of the woods, beckoning to the children. Told through the eyes of each member of the family--Emelda, William, and their four children--this compelling and deeply unsettling story holds readers hostage as they helplessly watch everything spiral out of control. However, the real horror of this novel is that Antioch could be any country, and the terrors both real and supernatural could easily be set loose upon us all. A chilling story that holds appeal for a wide audience, but especially for fans of The Hacienda, by Isabel Cañas (2022), Frankenstein in Baghdad, by Ahmed Saadawi (2018), and Wonderland, by Zoje Stage (2020). COPYRIGHT(2022) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.