Mikela, barely thirteen, leaves the farm where she has lived all her life, taken by her widowed mother to a rich house in a nearby town for two reasons – to lighten the load on the family and train her as a servant, a useful skill for her future. The Spanish Civil War is still an ominous presence. In this world, Mikela will learn the pointlessness of trying to shelter from all the winds. It is better to learn to control them.