Perrin McKenna grieves for the grandmother who raised her and taught her to love the green world of trees and fields, and uses her poetry to keep those memories alive. When she stays behind one afternoon at the carillon tower garden to enjoy the setting by night, she meets the spirit of the designer who gives her a commission, including a cottage at the edge of the garden, and challenges her to use her writing skills to become aware of lives around her, share what she learns, and help others grow into their own power with her poetry, a task she eagerly accepts without understanding how to accomplish his request. She is assisted by Ian Marcus Quintessence, house renovator by day, Shakespeare-quoter by night; portal guardians; and a girl and her guardian from another world, who need her to discover her grandmother’s gifts to realize love and happiness in her life.