Jessie Sullivan's conventional life has been "molded into the smallest space possible." But when she is called home to tiny Egret Island and meets Brother Thomas, a monk who is soon to make his final vows, she discovers a freedom that overwhelms her. Also on the island is a beautiful and mysterious chair that is dedicated to a saint who, legend claims, was first a mermaid. Is its power only a myth? Or will it alter the course of Jessie's life?