From the author of<b>Company of Liars</b><i>,</i>hailed as &amp;#8220;a jewel of a medieval mystery&amp;#8221;* and &amp;#8220;an atmospheric tale of treachery and magic,&amp;#8221;** comes a magnificent new novel of an embattled village and a group of courageous women who are set on a collision course&amp;#8212;in an unforgettable storm of secrets, lust, and rage.<br /> <b><br /></b>England, 1321. The tiny village of Ulewic teeters between survival and destruction, faith and doubt, God and demons. For shadowing the villagers&amp;#8217; lives are men cloaked in masks and secrecy, ruling with violence, intimidation, and terrifying fiery rites: the Owl Masters.<br /> <br /> But another force is touching Ulewic&amp;#8212;a newly formed community built and served only by women. Called a<i>beguinage,</i>it is a safe harbor of service and faith in defiance of the all-powerful Church.<br /> <br /> Behind the walls of this sanctuary, women have gathered from all walks of life: a skilled physician, a towering former prostitute, a cook, a local convert. But life in Ulewic is growing more dangerous with each passing day. The women are the subject of rumors, envy, scorn, and fury&amp;#8230;until the daughter of Ulewic&amp;#8217;s most powerful man is cast out of her home and accepted into the beguinage&amp;#8212;and battle lines are drawn.<br /> <br /> Into this drama are swept innocents and conspirators: a parish priest trying to save himself from his own sins&amp;#8230;a village teenager, pregnant and terrified&amp;#8230;a woman once on the verge of sainthood, now cast out of the Church.&amp;#8230;With Ulewic ravaged by flood and disease, and with villagers driven by fear, a secret inside the beguinage will draw the desperate and the depraved&amp;#8212;until masks are dropped, faith is tested&amp;#8230;and every lie is exposed.<br /> <br /> <br /> *<i>New York Times Book Review<br /> **Marie Claire</i>