An orphan girl is left on the steps of a farmhouse late one snowy night. Raised in the French countryside by a loving family, she finds she has a strong, even magical, affinity with the natural world around her. One border over, in a rural mountain town in Italy, another orphan girl is raised by a priest and his housekeeper. When it is found that she has a seemingly supernatural gift for the piano, she is sent to Rome for further training. There she is trained by a maestro in both the musical and the magical arts. Countries apart, the two girls are connected in a way few understand, but as the evil force of war approaches, their birthright and the link between them grow increasingly important. Vivid imagery and a thread of mystery
draw readers into the timeless and ethereal world of these young girls with a destiny to fulfill. Passionate and lyrical, the newest novel from internationally best-selling Barbery (The Elegance of the Hedgehog,2008) is a richly imagined tale full of enchanting characters whom readers will love.
