Solitary, nostalgic Liz Crane returns to her family's now-deserted farmhouse to study the migratory habits of the Monarch butterfly. A rich family history - all the anecdotes and blarney of successful Irish immigrants - is now tainted with sadness. Her cousin Amanda, a gifted military strategist, has been killed in Afghanistan, a loss foreshadowed by the earlier disappearance of her charismatic father. Reflecting on the fragility and transcience of human life and relations - mirrored in the Monarchs' restless flight - Liz finds that love is there to be found where you least expect it.

"'Urquhart handles the layers of narrative with lyrical aplomb' Susan Elderkin, Financial Times." - Financial Times

"'A delicate work of rare beauty' Lucy Popescu, Independent." - Independent

"'Urquhart's style is reminiscent of that of the Pulitzer-winner Marilynne Robinson' Mary Morrissey, Irish Times." - Irish Times

"'Emotional and atmospheric' The Lady." - Lady

"'Urquhart's writing is poetic, in the sense that it is beautifully compact and restrained when describing the most powerful emotions' The Times." - The Times

"'Urquhart's prose is lovingly and skilfully constructed ... Her sparse plot dances and weaves like a butterfly' Sunday Business Post." - Sunday Business Post