"In the Lac Viet region of ancient Vietnam, two noble daughters fill their days by training, studying, and trying to stay true to Vietnamese traditions. While Trung Trac is disciplined and wise, free-spirited and fierce Trung Nhi is more interested in spending time in the gardens and with her romantic conquests. But these sisters' lives--and the lives of their people--are shadowed by the oppressive rule of the Han Chinese. As the people's frustration boils over, the country comes ever closer to the edge of war. When the Trung sisters' father is executed, their world comes crashing down. With no men to save them against the Han's encroaching regime, they rise and unite the women of Vietnam into a powerful army. Bronze Drum is based on the true story of Trung sisters, shared down through generations for thousands of years, about these warriors and champions of women and Vietnam who heralded a new period of freedom and independence."--Page 4 of cover.