Once an independent woman with a rebellious streak, Masha changed twelve years ago, shaken to her core by a tragic event. Now her only comfort is her dog Haizum, and the only solace she finds is among the silent stones of a Victorian cemetery nearby, or underwater in her town swimming pool. But in this second novel from the author of The Keeper of Lost Things, chance encounters with two women wake up Masha's numbed spirit. One is Kitty Muriel, a former convent girl who became a magician's wife, and is now a 70-something roller disco fanatic. The other is a bag lady known as Sally Red Shoes, who has a prodigious voice and a penchant for saying exactly what she thinks. Then, just as Masha begins to feel like she wants to start living again, her past comes roaring back.