A short philosophical novel. A child's poem; a felled tree on the Isle of Skye. A man pauses and reflects on the nature of his life and how his existence has an inextricable connection with his surroundings. In the flow of time, a young student teacher is inspired by the discovery of the poem her father wrote for her when she was a child and finds the strength to confront the sexual excesses of one of her lecturers. With her two friends, she develops a web of interrelationships through which the three young people explore their emerging emotions and their understanding of life, love, tragedy and hope.