On an island in the southern Atlantic seas, a baby girl is born one dark winter’s day, while the spin-drift wind sings strange songs around the gullies and cliffs. But Gulai’s mother dies soon after giving birth and her father, Dr. Orion Prosper, the only medical doctor on the island, blames himself, refusing to talk to anyone. But Gulai never stops crying and her aunt is forced to seek advice from Sophia, the island’s other healer, in secret. Thus begins Gulia’s life on Ergo Island—betraying her father and becoming inextricably linked to the traditions he is working to eradicate. Gulai is curious about the "witch" the islanders publicly revile but privately visit, the "madness" which drove a young woman to her death, and the secrets which lie at the heart of all their lives.