Deep in the Appalachians of North Carolina lies the cove - a dark, forbidding place where spirits and fetches wander. The townsfolk of Mars Hill believe that Laurel, the young woman who lives there, is a witch. Alone except for a brother newly returned from the war in France, Laurel aches for her life to begin. Then it happens - a stranger appears, carrying only a silver flute and a note saying that his name is Walter, he is mute, and he is bound for New York.