The New York Times bestselling author of The House of the Spirits and A Long Petal of the Sea tells the story of one unforgettable womana slave and concubine determined to take control of her own destinyin this sweeping historical novel that moves from the sugar plantations of Saint-Domingue to the lavish parlors of New Orleans at the turn of the 19th century Allende is a master storyteller at the peak of her powers.Los Angeles Times The daughter of an African mother she never knew and a white sailor, Zaritknown as Ttwas born a slave on the island of Saint-Domingue. Growing up amid brutality and fear, Tt found solace in the traditional rhythms of African drums and the mysteries of voodoo.Her life changes when twenty-year-old Toulouse Valmorain arrives on the island in 1770 to run his fathers plantation, Saint Lazare. Overwhelmed by the challenges of his responsibilities and trapped in a painful marriage, Valmorain turns to his teenaged slave Tt, who becomes his most important confidant. The indelible bond they share will connect them across four tumultuous decades and ultimately define their lives.