Renia Gardner

After immigrating to Queens to live with her devout Catholic grandmother while her mother remains in the Philippines, young Filipina Mayumi’s desire to love a Filipina-American girl clashes with Lola’s strict religious beliefs.

RISING FIRE, an early human, flees with her small daughter KONA pursued by a violent warband -- the LION MEN. When she is inadvertently saved by one of the last NEANDERTHALS, the two struggle to communicate and find trust. But when the Lion Men return, they become the key to one another's survival - and the future of humanity.