A dark and mysterious novel set in the early 1800s. Molly and Alice McPhee visit Captain Walden, in his isolated country home. When Walden is called away on duty, he leaves his convict manservant, Halls, in charge. When he returns, Halls and the ladies have gone. The indigenous Dharawal -- the Water People -- offer their explanation of what happened before Molly and Alice were swallowed up by the earth.