Jewel Trader of Pegu

<p>In the autumn of 1598 Abraham a melancholy young Jewish gem merchant seeks his fortune far from the imprisoning ghetto walls of Venice. Traveling halfway across the world he lands in the lush and exotic Burmese kingdom of Pegu--an alien place yet one where the jewel trader is not shunned for his faith. There is a price for his newfound freedom however. Local custom demands that Abraham perform a duty he finds troubling and barbaric . . . and thus Mya barely more than a girl arrives to share his bed. Gently banishing his despair awakening something profound within him Mya ultimately accepts Abraham's protection and unexpectedly his love. But great social and political upheaval threatens to violently transform the Peguan empire--with devastating consequences for Abraham and Mya and their dreams for the future.</p>