As long as people could remember, the bells in the old stave church had rung out over the remote Norwegian village of Butangen, and were said to sound on their own in times of danger. In 1879, pastor Kai Schweigaard moves to the village. Young Astrid Hekne sees a way out of her traditional life on the arm of this new pastor, while Kai needs a tie to the community to bolster his plan for the church, with its pagan effigies and magical bells. But when he brings a German architect into their world, the village and Astrid are caught between ancient faith and modern progress—and then the bells begin to ring.
"[Lars] Mytting has created something beautiful, a perfect evocation of a place and a culture…. This first in a trilogy will have readers eagerly awaiting the next by this accomplished author."—Booklist