In the winter of 1577 a great comet lit up the skies across the globe. Scholars of the age from every kingdom, pondered what omen this celestial body might portend. Meanwhile, in a caravan camp along the road outside of Kandahar, a young refugee couple would welcome their fourth child. A daughter, whom they named Mihr-un-Nisa, meaning Sun of Women.

The family was making their way to the Mughal-ruled empire of Hindustan (India). Despite their refugee status they were of the noble ruling class of Persia and would find themselves welcomed in the court of Emperor Akbar.

Hindustan of the late 16th and early 17th centuries was a land of wealth, power, philosophy and art. Nurtured by a ruler who embraced curiosity and rejected orthodoxy, the culture of Hindustan had become a melting pot, welcoming travelers and transplants from the East and West. It was also a land of strict moral codes, gendered segregation and violent retributions to those who stepped too far out of line. This is the world that would shape Mihr (Nur Jahan) into the woman she would one day become...