October 1947

Unwilling to join India or Pakistan, the Maharaja of Jammu and Kashmir wants his kingdom to remain independent. But then a wave of attacks from the northwest frontier, supported by Pakistan, ravages city after city . . .

As friends leave the town in panic, and fear grips every neighbourhood, it is a time of reckoning for Zooni, as for the other people of Baramulla—with whom should their loyalties lay?

A ragtag bunch of youngsters, including Zooni's brave cousin Maqbool Sherwani, promise to protect Kashmir and its people—but Zooni isn't sure how they can fight truckloads of tribesmen bearing grenades and guns. Zooni tries to find a safe space—but will it remain safe? And the dark secret she discovers makes the dangerous world even darker . . .

The Songs of Freedom series explores the lives of children across India during the struggle for independence.