Concepion Benavidez has lived in Mexico for all of her life. When she leaves the convent where she is indentured for a better opportunity, a slave ship headed to Salem, Massachusetts, captures Concepion and her friend. Concepion's friend dies during the journey to Salem, the captain of the ship sexually abuses her, and she is almost starved to death. Needless to say, when Concepion arrives at Salem, she is a very different person than she was. Concepion's name is changed to Thankful Seagraves, and sold to Nathaniel Greenwood, who has her take care of his father-in-law.
Tommy is a normal 15 year-old boy living in 21st century England. He lives with his Mummy and Daddy, and they go on vacations just like all families do. While on vacation in a chateau in France, something strange happens. The house is more like a castle, with big towers and old pictures; and one of these pictures draws Tommy's attention more then the others. It's a picture of a girl-roughly Tommy's age- from over 400 years ago. The strange part happens next; and Tommy is magnetically drawn back into the year 1599.
Everyone knows about Napoleon, the guy who wanted to take over the world and conquer everything. Well, what do people know about his first wife, Josephine? Not much, really. She's always in the wings; no one ever thinks about her and her past. When Josephine was a girl, her name was Rose. It actually was Rose until she married Napoleon - he changed it because she needed to sound more French. Rose lived in a tropical paradise, moving to Paris when she was a teenager to marry her cousin. Eventually, her husband dies in "The Terror," with Rose narrowly escaping the guillotine.
