Zo, Miller, Xander

When we first meet Zwazo Delalun--Zo--he is a young orphan in a fishing village. Although hes been told he may be the poorest boy in the Western Hemisphere, he possesses every trademark of a hero: hes strong, honest, and courageous, and he dreams of a better life. As he grows up, Zo travels the island, working in the cane fields and almond orchards and out at sea--but he longs for something work cant earn him: love. Then one morning, while hauling cement under the broiling sun, he meets Anaya, a beautiful nursing student sipping cherry juice under a tree. Their attraction is instantaneous, fierce. Anaya uses her knowledge of medicine to cure Zo of the malaria thats plagued him for months, even as she intoxicates him with a love more potent than any he could have imagined.

But Anayas father, a prominent doctor, cannot accept that a poor, uneducated man is destined for his daughter, and he takes measures to stop their union. Zo and Anaya nevertheless find a way to be together--making a new home in the hills outside Port-au-Prince--until the unthinkable happens: an earthquake roils the ground. Homes, hospitals, and churches topple; roads crack. Zo watches as the city--where Anaya is in class--is reduced to rubble in a searing instant. Even before the dust has settled, Zo is ready to risk his life to rescue her--if he can only find her, and keep himself alive in the meantime.