"The myth of Orpheus is of loss and recovery. There seems to be nothing mythic about the American protagonist, Frederic Baras, of this novella, and apparently the only traits that he shares with the Orpheus of legend are his musicianship and his roots in Thrace, northern Greece, from which his grandfather immigrated. But the Orphic element resides not in the personality of any man or woman, but in the rhythm of coming-to-be and passing-away in the kingdoms of life. The Orphic theme arises from the entangled lives of the three principal characters: Frederic Baras; Dree Vreelan, a naturalist searching for the legendary Midnight Swan, and conservationist attempting to save Oak Knoll from commercial development; and Louise Loeffler, a virtuoso pianist who shares Baras's passion for music. The time is now, the place Lost Isle University adjacent to the city of Fort Clark in the northern steppe of the United States" (from back of book)