Carmela Vasconcelos, an divorcee, gets caught up in the of the Cuban Revolution, joins Lucas, her brother, as they run away from their parents to join Castro.
The book shows us the same traveling experience through three sets of eyes, Mrs. Sengupta, Satya, and the American Rebecca Elliot.
Cleopatra is portrayed as an intelligent, educated power broker who knew how to persuade kings to come to her side and her people to support her.