Tilby, Lincolnshire, 1812. Born into modest wealth and impeccable respectability, Miss Isabel Ellerby is expected to make an advantageous marriage. But an encounter with a Faerie Rade brings changes thick and fast, and Isabel's safe and conventional life changes forever.

When she meets the handsome Ferryman of Aylfenhame, Isabel knows there is no going back. Condemned and forgotten by all, Isabel is his only hope − for she alone possesses the heart, the will and the strength to unravel the dark curse which binds him.