On a small snow-covered island live twelve-year-old Minou, her philosopher Papa, a priest, Boxman the magician, and a clever dog called No-Name. A year earlier Minou s mother left the house wearing her best shoes and carrying a large black umbrella. She never returned. Can her mother s mysterious disappearance be explained by the equally enigmatic appearance of a dead boy, washed up on the beach one year later? Unwilling to accept her mother s death, Minou embarks on an investigation that will teach her the truth about loss and love, in a story that is uniquely enchanting."