"The women served bred, and obeyed--never questioning the dark Divine Will that yearly claimed the lives of their sons. The men ruled, meditated, and sired--if they survived. That was the way it had always been on Marah, where a deadly virus attacked young males and left only a few to reach maturity... the way it had always been until a beautiful and forceful Terran female landed and began asking questions--and a devoted, true-believing Shepherd named Jared began having doubts."--Back cover.