The stunning prequel to Best Intentions. In 2238, opposites still attract. Sixteen year old Maryana is the darling of the Byelorussian debutante circuit, a knockout blonde with a smile to resurrect the dead and the heiress to her father's galactic business empire. Twenty-two year old Sasha towers more than two meters tall, the son of a chem-whore, a dirt-poor working stiff too withdrawn and demoralized to apply his brilliant mind. When Sasha and his friends crash an upscale party, etiquette-maven Maryana feels it her civic duty to make him feel welcome - until she glimpses past his rough-as-pavement exterior. When her acts of kindness are met with outrage at home, Maryana pushes back. Disowned by her parents, Maryana fights to build Sasha's career and their fortune to award-winning triumph, with an ever-growing family in tow. When Sasha accepts what should be a prestigious new job offer, Maryana finds her world spinning out of control - and their very lives on the line.