When a prostitute is beaten on a Caribbean Island, no one realizes that this seemingly minor event will light a fuse to blow apart the old, corrupt social order. Pursuing healing for the wounded young woman and for other poor workers, members of the community become targets of ruthless entrepreneurs planning to reap big profits while despoiling the island's rich environment. Readers will meet Monica, a prostitute by choice who controls every aspect of her life and her bordello until her world crumbles; Rosie, an American professor and healer who must forsake her roles of teacher and wife as she faces her husband's involvement in the schemes; Pide, a homeless beggar who brings unexpected wisdom, humor, and friendship to those he touches; Abuelita and Don Tuto who are leaders of the island outcasts who live in the darkness of its vast cave system and underground river, and guide the way to a new relationship with the land.he reader will feel the vibrant, rich world of the exotic, the struggles that still exist, and will be better for it.