Aibhlinn MacFinlay's life has been rife with struggle. The daughter of a drunken and abusive father who blames Aibhlinn for the death of her mother, she's cast into the role of caretaker for him and her three brothers. As a result of rumours that her mother was a selkie, Aibhlinn has spent her days as an outsider never quite fitting in with island folk. But her beloved island is home to a dark legacy - a bargain was struck between the humans and the faeries who inhabit the sea upon which many islanders depend on their livelihood. Every seven years, a mortal girl is chosen to become the sea bride and is taken by her faery bridegroom to live in the Faery for three days. In return for this, the sea faeries prevent the savage water horses from hunting on the island and in the waters surrounding it. Aibhlinn's father writes her in name of the book for the bride choosing and she is faced with a life-altering choice. Will she accept the centuries-old tradition or will she fight to protect the land and people that she loves?