A young woman cares for her grandfather, and in her utter isolation finds two extraordinary companions: memory and imagination. While the cherry trees lose their leaves, the law of winter enforces itself, reminding us that, in order to be reborn, we need to let go. The novel’s intimate, magical atmosphere makes the invisible visible: the people who are not here, but who guide us always; the love we call into existence when we need for it to exist; and the way we compensate for every absence. "And in the chilly nights, under a foot of snow, the first buds had begun to push its way up, to teach the people of this town what is so hard for them to believe."