In this period drama set in the 16th-century Netherlands, the unlikely pair of a proper Dutchwoman and her husband’s slave mistress collaborate on a scientific discovery that could free them from the bounds of patriarchal society. The print debut of Korean manga artist Yudori is a richly imagined, feminist graphic novel.

Amélie is a brilliant woman trapped in the confines of high Dutch society in the mid-16th century. Married to the charming merchant Hans, she is expected to be a devoted wife and tend to house and home. She lives for the days that Hans travels away on business, when she can be a free spirit — gobble leftovers in bed, gallivant through town alone, lose herself in literature, and conduct scientific experiments. She looks to the skies and dreams of taking flight. Her life changes when Hans returns from his journey with a slave mistress from a distant land. Each drawn to the other, the two women form a close relationship, and work together to seek their freedom.

Fiercely feminist and spectacularly rendered, Raging Clouds is the dazzling graphic novel debut of Korean comic book artist Yudori. In her lush manga style, Yudori richly imagines the period, with careful attention to settings, costumes, and all manner of accoutrements. Conjuring high drama, her characters grapple with intense feelings of desire, despair, jealousy, and righteous indignation. Ultimately, Raging Clouds is a powerful story about the role of women in society, and their struggle to push back against the boundaries they’ve been boxed into.