Mid-6th century, Denmark

A 15-year-old girl, the only girl in a large family of boys, dreams of freedom and marrying her secret first love, a young farmer. Up until now, her life has been one of servitude. She cherishes those moments when she's alone in the woods, those few times she gets to see him in mere moments.

She fights her father in his decision that she wed an older widower with young children. Then, a horrific event changes her life forever. Pregnant and discarded, having brought shame to her family and community, she is sacrificed to the dragon to die. But the dragon saves her, instead. It is their secret.

This historical medieval tale, takes a woman from the pages of Beowulf, giving her voice that reveals a journey of societal injustice, and her love of Nature that enables her to survive in the wild alone, where she gives birth and raises her child--deemed a monster--entirely on her own. That child is Grendel, and she is Grendel's mother.

In the end, not only does she battle Grendel to keep him safe, but she battles her son's killer, Beowulf, as well.