Teenager Ophelia is about to spend the summer with her aunt Emily, a poet and the owner of an antiquarian book shop, The Green Man. A proud, independent woman, Emily's been made frail by a heart attack, and needs help. Just how crucial that help will be unfolds as Ophelia first tackles Emily's badly neglected home, then the chaotic shop. But soon she discovers that there are mysteries and long-buried dark forces that she cannot sweep away and are threatening to awake once more. An exploration of poetry, a story of family relationships and an intriguing mystery.