All her life, Boston-born Moira Doherty has relished her mother's descriptions of the Emerald Isle. When her mother dies unexpectedly in the summer of 1920,

Moira is compelled to fulfill her dying wish—that she become the teacher in Ballymann, the beloved village in Donegal, Ireland, she's heard so much about.

After an arduous voyage, Moira begins a challenging new job in an unfamiliar and ancient country. Though a few locals offer a warm welcome, others are

distanced by superstition and suspicion. Rumors about Moira's mother are unspoken in her presence but threaten to derail everything she's journeyed to

Ballymann to do. Moira must rely on the kindness of a handful of friends—and the strength of Sean, an unsettlingly handsome thatcher who keeps popping up

unannounced—as she seeks to navigate a life she'd never dreamed of … but perhaps was meant to live.