In the summer of 1878, the circus arrives on Nordstrand in Germany, to the delight of the island's people. But after the show, a massive wave claims three young children, and three mothers are on the beach when it happens: Lotte, whose children are lost; Sabine, a seamstress with her grown daughter; and Tilli, just a girl herself, who will give birth later that day at St. Margaret's Home for Pregnant Girls. These women will form a complex friendship, but in this novel by the author of Stones from the River, can they truly nurture and support each other, no matter what further difficulties may come?

"Magical…. Hegi is gentle with her characters, offering them consolation in their shared humanity…. Ultimately transforming."—Boston Globe