An unnamed murderer has served his time in prison, then comes to live on a sparsely populated island with the enigmatic Professor Silas Kreutznaer and his laconic companion, Licht. A sort of uneasy calm is operating in this world when a party of castaways arrives, with disquieting results.

In this brilliantly haunting novel, John Banville forges an unforgettable amalgam of enchantment and menace that suggests both The Tempest and his own acclaimed The Book of Evidence. "A surreal and exquisitely lyrical new novel by one of the great stylists writing in English today."--Boston Globe.