When the child emerges from the wilderness, no one in the village knows what to do with her. She is odd, half-wild, without speech and seems to have an unnatural bond with animals, especially the falcon, who is always circling above her. The Wise-Woman takes her in and names her Rhodd, but the rest of the villagers remain suspicious. Over the years, as Rhodd grows, the village realises that the river, which is their connection to the wider world, is beginning to die and eventually a dark sickness begins to spread. Soon, too soon, the villagers turn their suspicion on Rhodd and her falcon. And so, Rhodd sets out to discover what or who is causing the river to dry up, to protect her mother, her falcon and herself.