Born into a cursed family, Khem's mother gives him a girl's name, Khemjira, to protect him from dying before 20. He believes it until his 19th birthday when the truth unravels.

Khem is born into a cursed family. Supposedly, a daughter born into the family would be safe. However, a son would die before he'd reached the age of twenty. Khem's mother cleverly gives him a girl's name, Khemjira, which means "forever safe." Khem believes that until his nineteenth birthday.