"The three of us stopped as soon as we crossed the line, bent at the waist, arms resting on one another's shoulders. We were sisters in distress, if only for a moment. We were a doomsday trio that could not be consoled by clicking photographs or querying banshees. Mom and Zach were jumping up and down in silent screams. I was exhausted and exhilarated and could not discern the difference."

Hannah Ward knows she is on the fast track to success. She's a superb athlete with a bright mind, and her mother has provided her with an excellent education at the best schools. Love does not come easily to Hannah; men think her attractive yet baffling in her coldness, and friends and colleagues find her the same. Yet she presses on to certain fame in both sports and her career.

But something mysterious bothers Hannah about her past and her relationships with both her mother and her Korean coach, Mr. Kim.

David A. Goldstein, author of The Physician's Tale, provides a striking new novel about the charismatic Hannah and how she finally finds clarity and redemption.