From the moment he and his mother arrived from England, everything about India shouted adventure to fourteen-year-old John Knight. Crowds of people swarmed in the streets, temple elephants paraded about, monkeys scolded at passers-by--this was easily the most exciting place John had ever been. If only his father, a British government official sent to south India in 1909, will allow him to explore it.

But John and his mother are not prepared for what they discover when they befriend an Irish missionary named Amy Carmichael. With a heart for justice, John is shocked to learn that a young Indian girl rescued by Carmichael is a "child bride" being legally forced by her wicked uncle to marry an elderly man! Is it possible that John's father might be called upon to uphold this horrible law?

What will happen if John does not act? Who will save Jewel?

Will all the fears mirrored in Jewel's eyes come to pass?