After an automobile accident takes the lives of her parents and nearly her own, Arkadia O'Malley faces a painful recovery. As she seeks custody of her younger sister, Rini, she must also contend with the obstruction of Irish law. Both Church and State oppose placing a minor child in the care of an unmarried woman. At the same time in Elsewhere, an elder world, she is introduced to the ancient lore of a shaman. When Rini is moved from a harsh orphanage to one of the notoriously cruel Magdalene homes, Arkadia's efforts to reunite with her sister are aided by powerful women from this reality as well as from Elsewhere.