Jo is a bright ten year old girl who loves stories. She and her favorite teddy bear Lucas have a frightening encounter in the woods near her home. This leads to a strange new friendship with a beautiful little girl from long ago and far away. Her new friend prompts her to an act of kindness which requires her to make a personal sacrifice. As a result of these events an extraoridiary story is told to her from a thousand years ago and a thousand miles away. It is a story of the conflict between the demands of a harsh religion and the love of learning, arts and sciences. It also tells of the yearning of a little girl to be allowed to go to school. It still has resonances in the modern world. Though written for children, particularly girls aged 8 to 12, this is quite a serious little book which can also appeal to adults. In style it is closer to the romantic movement than the digital age. Though the climax of the book is a very colourful and dramatic tale from the past, at the heart of the novel is the friendship between two little girls. It is pity for the deep sadness which Jo sees in her friend's eyes which finally persuades her make the sacrifice asked of her. At first she is reluctant. "Love through pity," she says to herself at one moment, "I wasn't much good at that."