"With Mengiste, a new era begins in literature." Zoë Beck

When Mussolini invades Ethiopia in 1935, he encounters unexpected resistance: nurses, cooks, and maidservants. They are ready to stand up against the fascists alongside their brothers and fathers. The young Hirut, an orphan in the service of an officer of Emperor Selassie, is one of them. As Selassie flees into English exile, Ethiopia risks losing not only its leader but also its hope. And it is Hirut who finds a way to inspire the country. Alongside the Shadow King, a poor musician who bears an uncanny resemblance to the emperor, she saves her homeland from despair and briefly becomes the mistress of her own fate.