Set before Harry Potter was born, this first Iris Evans novel traces the remarkable and tragic lives of the Evans girls as they encounter and cope with love and loss in their family while each building the foundations for their individual and independent lives. Intertwined with Iris and Petunia Evans' stories is a truly unique tale of a young Irish Wizard who can manipulate time.

Before the rise of the Dark Lord, before Harry and the Potters, a world existed where the sidelines were unclear and the motives of players from all parts of it were poorly monitored. In this seeming Dark Age, four beacons shone for Europe, each a pillar to make firm their region of influence, and with each pillar of light came a cloud of darkness, enfolding it, waiting to strike.