Written by the author of Troy, Adele Geras, this sequel is set against the backdrop of Homer's Odyssey. It tells the story of the women the men leave behind when they go into battle. Gods walk among mortals, and the city of Ithaka is overrun with suitors eager to win Penelope's hand, as it has been 10 years since her husband, Odysseus, left. It is told through 14-year-old Klymene, who is like a daughter to Penelope, and longs for a romance to develop between herself and the prince Telemachus.