A lit­er­ary nov­el based on the Song of Songs and the Book of Kings. A young maid­en is sold by her fam­i­ly into the harem of the king, who is rumored to have 700 wives and 300 con­cu­bines. But the king is less than leg­end would have it, and the maid­en has a great capac­i­ty for love. The book swings between the vague world of leg­end and harsh­ness of real life in a pre-indus­tri­al soci­ety in a king­dom sur­round­ed by enemies.