"A riveting story of time and humanity, highly recommended (Midwest Book Review), "A bold adventure....Chapters move quickly in a mixture of danger, excitement, and pure enjoyment..." (Foreword Online Reviews). Two women, two hundred years apart, seek their past and their future on journeys that will link the old world with the new and change the map of Florida.
Setting sail for America in 1781, Rachel Levy and her father Moses are captured by Barbary pirates and brought to Morocco for sale. The loathsome vizier forces Moses into slavery as his assistant and compels Rachel to choose between himself and the king's harem. Without money or resources, Rachel and Moses must use their wits to find a way to freedom.
Two hundred years later, Sara Miller's sweet, loving, apron-wearing grandmother Ruth is killed, and Sara discovers Ruth's buried past, long hidden by the terror of the Holocaust. Ruth's bequest sends Sara on a journey that will uncover Ruth's mystery and the link to their ancestor, Rachel Levy.
Sara's travels follow the author's search for the truth behind Rachel's story, often cited in Florida history books. The story is considered a fabrication, but what is true is that Rachel's son, Moses E. Levy, and her grandson, David Levy Yulee. changed Florida's future. David Yulee fought for Florida's statehood and became one of Florida's first senators and the first Jewish senator in Congress.