It is 1074, eight years after the Battle of Hastings changed the cultural and physical landscape of the country forever.

But England is about to be shaped by another legacy: one which is truly immortal.

Liebling of the Hall, Edith, knows the year will be cursed as soon as the yule block burns out prematurely. Nonetheless, when she meets a mysterious figure in the Fens who claims to be a changeling, she finds herself falling in love with him, ignoring the concern of her brother, Robert, and continuing to visit. But when her brother's nemesis, Henry de Bois, kidnaps her on one of these visits, events are set in motion which will change England forever.

It is 1074, 8 years after the fateful Battle of Hastings. Lord Henry De Bois is determined to find the secret community of Robert, an Anglo-Saxon thane. Despite his fervour, all his attempts are met with failure.

When he captures Robert's young sister, Edith, events are set in motion, affecting everyone involved. Edith is forced into a terrible world of cruelty and deceit, but finds friendship there too.

Will Robert ever learn why Henry hates him so much? Will Edith's new-found friendships be enough to save her from De Bois? And who is the mysterious stranger in the reedbed who can disappear at will?

A gripping historical fiction with an astonishing twist!