The journey of a man who loses everything in one terrible moment, from the acclaimed author of A Blade of Grass

Leo Millar is a young painter in Paris who seems to have it all-a beautiful French wife, a talented young son, a thriving career. After years spent as a lonely orphan, Leo basks in a sense of belonging, until one dreadful instant robs him of all that he cherishes.

Overcome by guilt and despair, he flees to a tiny, rugged island off the coast of Normandy. With its timeless customs and wild natural beauty, the island soon works its magic, and Leo encounters a brilliant but troubled musician who is fighting her own demons. But it is only when a strange, damaged child enters Leo's life that he has a chance to move beyond his own losses and find, perhaps, a new definition of love and the restoration of hope.

This luminous novel transports us to a place of elemental beauty-of stone and salt, of light and shadow, of solitude and community. Here, old promises are kept alive in the heart and given new expression.