Edwin Joseph

In any given year, more than 600,000 people are reported missing in the U.S. Of these reported cases, more than half of the missing people are people of color, too easily neglected by the system. Gabi Mosely, a former missing person herself, now specializes in PR and leads a crisis management team that seeks out these missing people. But unbeknownst to anyone, Mosely is hiding a dark secret of her own.

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.