Chessen Waterhouse is a dreamer. Brought up in the lonely wilds of Dartmoor, there is one person in the community who finds her intriguing. Sam White has watched Chessen from afar for as long as he can remember. Violet lives in the Dartmoor of the late eighteenth century, when a very different set of pressures govern life. Despite the village fear of the local Wise Woman Gracie, Violet is fascinated by Gracie ,and in time they develop a friendship, which leads to the discovery that she has an aptitude for herb lore. Her father agrees to allow them to continue, promising that he will tell Violet's Mother when the time is right. But Joshua's sudden death leaves Violet with her secret untold. Switching between late eighteenth century and modern day Dartmoor, and London, the story mixes legend with reality and contains many elements of folklore. The two main characters must try to find their way through the tragic circumstances of grief and personal loss, and ultimately life itself.