Cerinthe Gale is a down-to-earth girl seeking a dream not really her own. She sees herself through a flawed "mirror" held up before her face by everyone's hands but her own. '"Look,' they say, 'this is who you should be.' What they really mean is, 'Look, this is who I want you to be.'" In her mirror, she sees her mother's dream of dance, her father's love, Thordon's dream of his future with her as wife and appendage, and Elliana's contempt for her dancing. She does not see the talent, skill, and determination Mederi Grace, her friend Tayla, and Daina Odonna see. Nor does she see her physical appearance: the dancer's body, blonde hair, and sea-colored eyes.

Her mother Eilisha never adjusts to life as the wife of a simple fisherman. Instead, she reminisces endlessly about her one trip to...