"Sabeen was bathing, and had just risen from the water close to the shore. She looked like a goddess in the soft twilight. Her form was graceful; her figure was slim yet rounded ."

To Votu and Deek, Sabeen is perfection. Both deeply passionate young men hope to win her affection. Votu, knowing that his clan's survival depends on cooperation, hunts game and catches fish for shared winter storage, cuts wood to provide heat against the coming cold, and mends huts for shelter. Deek, living as a stranger among the clan, fights demons from his past, fuels his dark anger with jealousy, and...