Marianne McShane ist eine ehemalige Kinderbibliothekarin und Seanchaí, eine traditionelle irische Geschichtenerzählerin. Sie wuchs an der Ostküste Irlands auf und liebt es besonders, Volksmärchen und Feengeschichten aus ihrer Heimat zu erzählen. Ihre Arbeit ist tief in den reichen mündlichen Überlieferungen Irlands verwurzelt und erweckt alte Geschichten für ein neues Publikum zum Leben. McShanes Verbindung zu ihrer Heimat ist in ihrem eindringlichen Erzählstil spürbar.
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?