When Abren becomes conscious of her surroundings she is struggling to get out of the flooded river Severn with her only possession, a beautifully embroidered cloth, clutched in her arms. What is she doing in the water, who is she, and where can she go? And so begins the unfolding of a story, like the river itself, that snakes and turns and surprises the reader on every level. A wonderful magical fantasy of a story that follows the journey of a girl's life over many centuries and across huge terrain. Pauline Fisk is a marvellous storyteller whose canvas is huge and whose delving into mythology makes for astounding reading.