FROM THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLING WINNER OF THE PRIX SORCIÈRES From Europe to Africa, to the Caribbean, Alma tells a gripping story of hope, perseverance, and love. “Vivid and exact…this is a book about heroism.”—The New York Times 1786. Alma lives with her family in an African valley, isolated from the rest of the world. Her days are spent exploring their blissful homeland; until her little brother finds the only way out. Meanwhile, in Lisbon, the petty thief Joseph Mars manages to get himself on board the Douce Amélie, a slave ship, to look for a fabulous treasure.