Every story started with a prayer to the gods—except mine. In fact, a peasant’s story wasn’t written at all.

But I was going to change that.

When the Golden Kurinji flowers filled the fields at the foot of the mountains, a peasant girl’s father brought her a petal and told her how the flower had the power to make one a scholar. But that was years ago, and the girl with no name is tired of hiding outside her town’s school and peeking into its compounds to learn what she needed to be worthy of the flower. Being born a peasant, she is not allowed to read or write, let alone touch the flower. But everything changes when she meets Aavirai, a scholar entrusted with gifting the Golden Kurinji to the crown princess.

Aavirai is angry at the royal family for destroying forests and livelihoods in their selfish conquest. She is angry at her mother, the commander, for folding to the queen’s every whim. In defiance, she gives the last Golden Kurinji meant for the royal princess to a peasant girl she’d met days ago. Now the royal family is out for blood and have sent her own mother in pursuit. The duo must embark on an adventure across the kingdom to complete an impossible task that will secure the scholars’ support, or lose their lives and everything they’ve fought for.