Belfast, 1895. Haunted by her mother's death, Maire McNair is lured by the selkie myth to the promise of the Alaskan wilds to fulfil her dream of finding acceptance. Cunning and determination get her there in the guise of teaching at the Tlingit Indian mission. But Alaska proves more complex and difficult than she imagined, and the hope that this new place would transform her is elusive as ever. The censorious Mrs. Paxson, the wife of the trading post manager, constantly finds fault with Maire's efforts to instruct the native children. She has her own plans and Maire is in the way. Will Maire be able to forge her own way and make a success of her teaching? And what should she do about the handsome yet moody Lieutenant Green who is aggressively courting her? Natsilane is the Tlingit erstwhile mission protege. Troubled and disaffected, he finds himself battling Maire's naive views and prejudices as he seeks to regain his own cultural identity by resuming a traditional lifestyle that draws from the Tlingit myth. But he cannot escape his past with the mission, nor can he or Maire escape the mutual attraction they feel. In a world that permits no rule breakers, will the power of myths trump all?