In a quiet town, of a sort not found nowadays, lives a beautiful young girl. One summer day, she visits the woods with her mother and father. While her parents prepare the picnic, she seeks out buttercups and daisies for a flower necklace. As she does so, a wish forms in her mind--and to her surprise, a silver-haired woman appears, ready to grant it.

Carol Ann Duffy's story of a girl's journey through life, and the desires that shape it, will speak to everyone who wonders about the mysteries that lie at the heart of human experience.