The Twentieth Wife: Volume 1 (The Taj Trilogy)

In the winter of 1577, a young Persian nobleman flees his homeland and heads to India and the glittering Mughal court of Emperor Akbar. When the family stops at Qandahar, his wife gives birth to a baby girl named Mehrunnisa.

Growing up in the opulent court, Mehrunnisa falls in love with Akbar's son, Prince Salim. Fate intervenes, and she is married to a Persian soldier, aches for motherhood, and is embroiled in power struggles with Salim's wives.

Through it all, Mehrunnisa and Salim long with a fiery intensity for a true love, one that eventually leads Mehrunnisa to a dazzling destiny in 17th Century India.

A legend in her own time, Mehrunnisa's story has been lost to history. Until now. Skillfully blending history with rich and sensuous prose, Indu Sundaresan reconstructs the life of one of the most powerful women in Indian history--Mehrunnisa, Empress Nur Jahan.