Elinor, our heroine, is desperate to regain her youth, when unexpectedly the answer is handed to her by a mysterious stranger. Little does she know that this stranger has an agenda all of his own. He will give her the youth that she is so desperate for, but he wants in return a magical rose and its missing petals.

With only a sketchy outline as to where this rose can be found, she sets out on her journey.

Elinor hasn’t gone far when we meet Varren, a talking terrapin with a beard and expressive moustache, who claims to have come from a world very different from hers. Varren goes on to be a valuable ally but can he be trusted completely.