Corinna, reared as an orphan, has changed herself into a boy, Corin, to secure an easier life as folk-keeper, one who tends underground beings who bring misfortune if ignored.
Sought for mysterious reasons by a wealthy family, she becomes folk-keeper for the family's estate, but eventually learns that her many odd qualities add up to her being a seal-maiden - one who can take on the form of a seal - and the daughter of the dead lord and his seal-maiden wife.
As heir to the estate, she finally finds her true destiny. Marvelously evocative passages catch the strength and mystery of the sea, the beauty and strangeness of underground caverns, and the many faces of love.
