From the moment she first sees the cocky warrior Odysseus, Penelope knows that one day she will be his wife. What she doesn't know is that Odysseus's pride will take him away from her to fight the Trojan War. Penelope must become an expert at waiting, and it is this waiting that proves to be the ultimate test of her courage, patience -- and love.

The sorceress Circe has been waiting for Odysseus to land on her island so she can seduce him with her spells, just as she has countless other men. She never expects to fall in love with him, though, or that he will be the first man capable of resisting her charms.

Odysseus has always been the goddess Athena's favorite mortal, for he, like she, is famous for his wiles. As Athena guides Odysseus through his many trials, she waits with compassion and love to see if he will learn to temper his desire for fame and discover the truth of his own humanity.

Finally, his nanny, Eurycleia, has watched Odysseus grow from a mischievous child into a great hero. As she waits for her beloved master to return home, she keeps loyal watch over those he has journeyed twenty years to see again.

In this innovative retelling of Homer's Odyssey, Clemence McLaren, author of Inside the Walls of Troy, presents the story of Odysseus's epic journey through the hearts of four women who loved and waited for him.