Based on an actual eighteenth-century diary, Push Not the River is an emotional and dramatic novel of a young woman's coming of age during Poland's history. Countess Anna Maria Berezowska's story unfolds against the rise and fall of the Third of May Constitution, a time of upheaval as Poland becomes the target of its neighboring monarchs in the late 1700s. She is only seventeen when she loses her parents and is thrust into a world of loyalty and deceit, patriotism and treason. She finds faith in her guardian Aunt Stella, who personifies Poland's strength and spirit; and is challenged by her enigmatic cousin Zofia, who tries to sabotage the growing love between Anna and Jan, a brave fighter for democratic reform. This is a romantic, sweeping saga of love, duty, and honor.