Publisher's Synopsis
"But there is one thing that is beyond the reach of evil, and it is the tremendous failure of history. She will judge us."
1864, Mexico City. A new emperor rules: Archduke Maximilian of Austria, brother to the ruler of the Habsburg realm. Maximilian's closest friend, Eduard Leitner, joins the cause to save their adoptive country from civil war. A well-provisioned French army keeps the rival president, Benito Juarez, and his teeming bands of guerillas at bay - for now. Torn loyalties bedevil Eduard, as his relationship with Maximilian strains amidst his love for the bona fide patriot, Ana de Cervantes. As the French threaten to withdraw and allies abandon the propped-up regime, Maximilian's life will be next on the line, should Eduard not find a way to escape the tightening noose. Nothing less than the fate of Mexico, and his friend, is at stake.
