Cori signs up to take a mission trip to Indonesia during the summer after her senior year of high school. Inspired by happy visions of building churches and seeing beautiful beaches, she gladly escapes her complicated love life back home. Five weeks after their arrival, a sectarian and religious conflict that has been simmering for years flames to life with deadly results on the nearby island of Ambon. Within days, the church building the team had constructed is in ashes, its pastor and fifty villagers are dead, and the six terrified teenagers are stranded in the mountainous jungle with only the pastor's teenage son to guide them to safety. Ultimately, Cori's emotional quest to rediscover hope proves as arduous as the physical journey home.

Author Biography

LISA MCKAY is a forensic psychologist and the Director of Training and Education Services for the Headington Institute, which provides psychological and spiritual support to humanitarian relief and development workers around the world. A registered psychologist in Australia, she holds a M.Psychol. in forensic psychology from the University of New South Wales, and a M.A. in International Peace Studies from the University of Notre Dame.Lisa is author of the novel My Hands Came Away Red, which was a 2008 Christy finalist. She has also authored Continuing Education modules for mental health professionals on understanding, assessing and treating acute stress, and writes a monthly series of stress management tips for humanitarian workers, Peace by Piece. She has had articles and essays published in several magazines, including InterAction Monday Developments, the Notre Dame Magazine, and Among Worlds. Lisa currently resides in Los Angeles, California.