Terlu Perna broke the law because she was lonely. She cast a spell and created a magically sentient spider plant. As punishment, she was turned into a wooden statue. When Terlu wakes up, she finds herself on a nearly-deserted island full of hundreds of magical greenhouses. The only other human on the island is a grumpy gardener. He offers Terlu a place to sleep, clean clothes, at least until she's ready to sail home. But Terlu can't return and doesn't want to. And when she learns that the magic that sustains the greenhouses is failing, causing the death of everything within them, Terlu knows she must stay and help.