On the island, sunrise doesn't come every twenty-four hours-- it comes every twenty-eight years. The weather is turning cold and the shadows are growing long; the islanders are frantically preparing to sail south, where they will wait out the long Night. Marin and her twin brother, Kana, help ready the house for departure. Locks must be taken off doors. Furniture must be arranged. Tables must be set. The rituals are bizarre but none of the adults in town will discuss why it has to be done this way. When one of their friends goes missing just as the ships are about to sail, the twins know the only way to rescue him is by doing it themselves. But Night is falling....