“Desert Phoenix” is a historical saga that is both sweeping with romance and hope, and rife with heartbreak, danger and the harsh realities of living in turn-of-the-century American mining country. Tempa, born Lou, used to be a girl who loved books and had dreams. At just fifteen-years-old, however, her parents and brother have died from yellow fever, leaving her at the mercy of her older sister and her ruthless husband. With no power or voice of her town to fight with, instead of being welcomed into their home she is forced into prostitution. Over the next 15+ years, her love of books and her best friend, Belle, who took her under wing after being dumped on the brothel doorstep, has helped her still to grow into a strong, intelligent young woman. When she meets young Henry, she starts to think that maybe her long lost dreams of finding real love and escaping her monotonous lifestyle might actually be resurrected.
