Laila is 15 years old and as long as she been alive she thought she's been alive she thought she was the daughter of a king. Her mother was the a glomorous and flashy queen dressed in Parisian fashions, and her younger brother Bastien was the heir apparent to the throne. As the book opens, Laila her mother and her brother have recently arrived in the United States. Having to flee for their lives in the mist of theirs father assassination and subsequent coup, both orchestrated by his younger brother. As Laila attempts to settle into her new town and high school, Laila isnt surprised at the fimiliarity between boys and girls. Later on , a young man from her country whose family has been part of the rebel movement ever since her father ordered a brutal attack on their home town. Laila isnt sure who to believe or how to best help her struggling mother.