1820 Romania—a land which has held the Romani people in slavery for centuries.
All her life, 15-year-old Marioara has lived behind a high fence erected by her Master to separate his family from the rest of his slaves. Behind this fence, Marioara is taught to hate her blood, her color; her race. Never questioning why she is the lone slave kept close to the Master and vehemently disregarding gossip which might explain the situation, she serves faithfully…until the arranged marriage of the Master’s daughter, Gretchen, catapults her overnight from privileged ignorance into the widespread brutal realities faced by Romani women.
Transferred in ownership as part of Gretchen’s dowry, Marioara realizes that she is now the new master’s “handmaid”—relegated specifically to submit to his sexual demands whenever his wife does not please him. Struggling against this vicious tradition, Marioara finds herself alone…unless she is willing to confront the racism she was raised to believe and find out the truth about her heritage from the other slaves which now surround her.
Once she has a taste of real Romani history, language, and faith, she is unable to accept that her newfound ethnic pride is daily assaulted by the hypocrisy and tyranny of those who own her. She decides to make a stand on behalf of her people in order to bring the masters to their knees.
1820 Romania—a land which has held the Romani people in slavery for centuries.
All her life, 15-year-old Marioara has lived behind a high fence erected by her Master to separate his family from the rest of his slaves. Behind this fence, Marioara is taught to hate her blood, her color; her race. Never questioning why she is the lone slave kept close to the Master and vehemently disregarding gossip which might explain the situation, she serves faithfully…until the arranged marriage of the Master’s daughter, Gretchen, catapults her overnight from privileged ignorance into the widespread brutal realities faced by Romani women.
Transferred in ownership as part of Gretchen’s dowry, Marioara realizes that she is now the new master’s “handmaid”—relegated specifically to submit to his sexual demands whenever his wife does not please him. Struggling against this vicious tradition, Marioara finds herself alone…unless she is willing to confront the racism she was raised to believe and find out the truth about her heritage from the other slaves which now surround her.
Once she has a taste of real Romani history, language, and faith, she is unable to accept that her newfound ethnic pride is daily assaulted by the hypocrisy and tyranny of those who own her. She decides to make a stand on behalf of her people in order to bring the masters to their knees.