Marianne McShane est une ancienne bibliothécaire pour enfants et une seanchaí, une conteuse traditionnelle irlandaise. Elle a grandi sur la côte est de l'Irlande et éprouve un amour particulier pour le partage des contes populaires et des contes de fées de sa terre natale. Son travail est profondément enraciné dans les riches traditions orales de l'Irlande, insufflant une nouvelle vie à des histoires anciennes pour un public contemporain. Le lien de McShane avec sa patrie est palpable dans son style narratif évocateur.
Eily and her father live in Ireland, three fields from the sea, within sight of the enchanted isle of Lisnashee. The fairy folk who live there cause mischief and harm to any who trespass, but once a year at Midsummer, Eily's father, the Fog Catcher, rows out to collect magic from the fog around the island. His sole protection is a charm tucked in his pocket, and when Eily finds the lost charm in a hedgerow after he departs, she knows at once what she must do.
Long ago, on the eastern coast of Ireland, a monk from the Abbey of Bangor was collecting driftwood along the shore when he found a boy washed up amid a circle of seals. At first the boy could barely move or speak. But when he regained his strength, he recalled being brought ashore by a lady with long golden hair who sang him to safety and gave him a silver ring. The monks knew the legend of a mermaid who had wandered the coast for three hundred years. Could it possibly have been her?