Caldwell wrote this novel when she was twelve years old, and had attempted to publish it through her grandfather's publishing company, but he accused her of plagiarism because it seemed impossible that a twelve-year-old could have written such an advanced book,[1] and it was not published until 1975, when Caldwell revised it with the assistance of Jess Stearn, and it was finally actually published.

Atlantis is ruled by the beautiful and intelligent Empress Salustra.

The fate of the Empire will be decided by an arranged marriage with the ruler of a less advanced, semi-barbarian northern kingdom, as the advanced technology of Atlantis is powerless against strange environmental and ecological disasters.

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