Esperanza’s comprehension of existence was limited to the agonies of life. For her, though her name meant Hope, hope was a flickering flame on the brink of extinction. She had been subjected to the cruelty of abandonment in her childhood and was further battered by life’s tumultuous storms of loss that threatened to consume her completely. However, as she stood on the brink of surrender, a ray of salvation extended its hand to her. The decision now lay before her – to grasp this lifeline and embark on a journey of discovery or to let go and resign herself to fate.