Toby, a war orphan living in northern France as the adopted daughter of a local blacksmith, carries a secret: a locket and a letter in a strange script she believes to be the only clue to her origins. Outwardly well adjusted, Toby excels at school and loves riding horses. But then, a strange encounter at a local farmer's market launches her on an all-consuming search for a birth parent who seems to be looking for her as well. In this emotional coming-of-age novel you'll follow a courageous young girl as she journeys across the Atlantic to America where, separated from her benefactor and pursued by mysterious enemies, she seeks refuge first among the Atawara Gypsies and then with a Cheyenne Indian shaman woman. These strange and exotic experiences bring a spiritual dimension to her quest for her roots, and ultimately lead her to discover a centuries-old heritage that she could never have imagined. Book I of The Rose Trilogy. (Book II, Three Deaths and a Tango; Book III, Los Conversos)