Synopsis: From the back cover of the Bantam second printing: "Set in the near future and inspired by the captivating myth of the warrior queen Califia, this ... novel tells the story of a small, peaceful community of women tucked away in a world gone mad... Only the elders of the Valley remember life the way it used to be... when people traveled in automobiles and bought food others had grown. When the male-to-female ratio was nearly the same. Before the bombs fell, and a deadly virus claimed the world's men. Now civilization's few surviving males are guarded by women warriors like Dian. When an unexpected convoy of strangers rides into her village, it is Dian who meets them, ready to do battle. To her surprise, the visitors come in peace and bear a priceless gift, whose arrival is greeted with as much suspicion as delight. It is up to Dian to discover their motive, in a journey that will cost her far more than she ever imagined, a journey from which she may never return..."