Illustrated with 36 stunning photographs, M rta Blades' immersive and enchanting memoir is an invitation into the remarkable journey of a Hungarian-born World War II refugee who has found wisdom, glory, gratitude in the dramatic and often traumatic events of an unexpected life.

Ancestrally Blades' royal roots extend into the Windsor family, as well as to Prince Vlad Tepes III, the prince who was the model for Dracula. Born into a life replete with privilege and all the possibilities of a first-class private education, Circumstances Beyond Control (also the title of her poem in the book) twisted her family's fate, causing a heartbreaking geographical split between her parents during the WWII as they conspired to ensure M rta's safety. A tender reunion preceded M rta's return to high school, wherein she earned a scholarship to Marian College in the United States. Next she made the brave solo voyage across the Atlantic Ocean on the General C.C. Ballou to pursue the American Dream.

Her college years proved a prelude to a marriage and the birth of three cherished children, a fantastical career in the Indianapolis arts scene, the real-life struggles of divorce and diagnoses, two marvelous return sojourns to her Motherland, and, ultimately, a blissful retirement under her beloved Carolina blue skies. Her story inspires recognition of the good fortune of living in times of peace, when the pursuit of our fondest dreams is possible. By the time readers turn the "last leaf," may they find no distinction between Blades' inspirational life, her grateful heart, and their own.