In 1320, a minor papermaker moves to the small town of Narbonne in the south of France in the hopes of selling his cheap new wares.  Writing, reading, and control of the more costly parchment supplies are under complete control of the Church, whose corruption is causing discontent and rebellion among the middle class.  The small living he ekes out goes virtually unnoticed until his voiceless albino daughter, Auda, uses his paper to write glorious stories of love and nobility.  Her unique verses capture the attention of the town’s rulers, a handsome painter, a band of heretics, and the Inquisition.

Trapped between her passionate quest to find her voice and mortal threats brought by the grand Inquisitor, Auda turns to her friends and protectors to help her and her family safe from torture, and even death.  The town’s Vicomte and Vicomtesse, the Archbishop, Auda’s lover, and her heretical friends all come to her rescue, for good or for ill will.

This exciting novel about papermaking, troubadours, and the Cathar heretics tells Auda’s story of love, longing, and the need to find her place in the world.