The plot centers around the Elliot family who purchase a Medieval inn in the English countryside. Themes include continuity of family and healing from past mistakes and poor decisions. Goudge is a very descriptive writer and takes the reader to the houses Dameroshay and the Herb of Grace, and into the enchanted forest where the fairy person lives, caring for the needy animals. Characters are true to life set in the post WWII period.

This book is part II in the Eliot Family trilogy. The first book in the series is "The Bird in the Tree" and last is "The Heart of the Family".