Russia, February 1534: Grand Prince Vasily III has died, leaving two infant sons and his realm in turmoil. Lithuanians are massing on the western border, Tatars plotting raids from the south and east, and the Russian ruler cannot lead the troops to war or restrain the power-hungry elite clans. When two such clans—one Russian, one Tatar—become embroiled in a vendetta, no central authority exists to impose order. The clans must find their own solution.

Sixteen-year-old Tatar princess Nasan is not pleased to discover that her father has chosen to settle his feud by marrying her to the son of his enemy, but she has already seen her younger brother killed, so she agrees to the match rather than watch more kinsmen die. Princesses do not  marry for love, and her acceptance gives her the satisfaction of protecting her clan and promoting the cause of peace.

But at the wedding Nasan discovers that her family has retaliated against the wrong man. Her brother's killer still lives, and no one knows but Nasan, the only eyewitness to the murder. She wants revenge—but not in a way that will endanger her relatives. So she hides her identity behind a mask and male clothes and slips out of her house at night, searching for a foolproof means to exact vengeance.

Nasan's nighttime activities reveal an underground world of crime and abuse previously hidden from a girl of privileged background. As she helps those in need, her fame spreads, and she becomes known as the Golden Lynx. The expectations of her patriarchal society work in her favor: no one suspects that Moscow's newest hero spends his days in the women's quarters. But as Nasan closes in on her adversary, she begins to suspect that she is not the only Golden Lynx in town....

Nasan's adventures are not yet ready for viewing, but for a short story connected with this project, click here.