In Scotland during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, traveling monks or harpers called seanachies passed down many legends. They would wander from village to village, where local families would take them in and give them food and shelter. In exchange, the seanachies would delight the families with stories they had heard on their journeys.

Heather and Broom contains eight seanachie stories from the Scottish Highlands, including the tales of the woman who tricked the fairies, the young lairdie with a heart of gold, and the daughter of the magical seal king. The collection gives the reader a taste of the poetic, lively culture of the Celtic imagination.