New Yorker and editor Thomas Mallory leads a simple life after a childhood trauma left him scarred. That is, until the Fall of 1918, when strange articles begin to pass through his hands–articles talking of a viscious malady sweeping the globe and killing millions. Against the backdrop of such tragedy, a strange turn of events thrusts Thomas into the lives of two poverty-stricken children who appear destined to succumb to the sickness. But when he discovers one of them may hold the key to the world’s suffering, he is torn between his own selfish desires, the fears of his past, and the burden of deciding what’s right for all of humanity...and for one girl. As Thomas unravels the mystery, will he follow in the footsteps of those who have fallen prey to temptation? Or will he find it within himself to accept the course of destiny, at the risk of losing the one he loves? An exploration of the complexities of choice and the definition of parenthood, Kathryn Grey’s The Girl is a beautiful story of the Spanish flu and the world it devastates with ravishing speed.