His theories would change the world—and tear hers apart. A page-turning novel inspired by the true-life love affair between Sigmund Freud and his sister-in-law. It is fin-de-siècle Vienna and Minna Bernays, an overeducated lady’s companion with a sharp, wry wit, is abruptly fired, yet again, from her position. She finds herself out on the street and out of options. In 1895, the city may be aswirl with avant-garde artists and revolutionary ideas, yet a woman’s only hope for security is still marriage. But Minna is unwilling to settle.

The story of a homeless eleven-year-old boy quoting lines of Shakespeare as he wanders the streets of Chicago after the loss of his father. In a sudden turn to comedy, William meets a sarcastic twelve-year-old girl on the playground of an elite private school who decides to run away and help him search for new parents. One replete with the witticism of the world’s most famous playwright and the other abound with the biting commentary of an angst-ridden little girl, the two precocious children are perfectly armed to begin their quest.