Duffy, an underfed and impoverished orphan, is newly apprenticed to Master Crowe of Elford Town. In his first days with the old apothecary, Duffy learns much about healing herbs, magic, and alchemy. But nothing he learns quite prepares him for the adventures that lie ahead.

It seems that Duffy has some kind of strange, untapped power, which is set loose in the magic-charged atmosphere of the apothecary shop. He is carried into dreamscapes both real and dangerous, where he meets an ocean-bound serpent, a poisonous cockatrice, and a fire-breathing dragon.

In order to survive these adventures, and to help save both his pet stoat and his beloved master, Duffy must learn to control his power. But can he - an illiterate and untutored almshouse boy - learn what he needs to know in time?

In her first novel, poet Anna Kirwan-Vogel has woven the story of the love one young boy has for the old man who is his teacher into a tale of miracles, magic, and philosophy. It is a story not easily forgotten.