"I was told that Ofelia doesn't exist. The doctor said so. It was the first time a doctor had come to the house, the first time I'd seen a stranger up close. I grabbed his hand and showed him Ofelia. "Look! Do you see her?" He looked where I pointed and turned to me. He put his hand on my forehead. "You have a fever," was all he said. "I see her, she's looking at you," I insisted. "It's the fever. When it passes, she'll go with it."

"I wanted to tell him that there was before the sickness, but the nun Graciella motioned me not to speak. So I closed my eyes to keep from seeing. And from that day on, everything changed. Ofelia came in my dreams and stayed when I woke up—a nightmare that only Agostino could break.

"I was born with the mark of the devil that all females of the Graciela clan bear, and wherever we go, we sow misfortune, murder, and the land is desolate. I am Romina, and today is the last day I live."

A series of murders shakes the small community of Capraya. Add to these an epidemic of smallpox, and the days grow darker and darker. Paranoia, fear and religious fanaticism take over, and everyone is looking for a scapegoat.

The heroes, trapped within the narrow spiritual and geographical boundaries of the island, struggle to salvage what they can from their desires, coming into direct conflict with societal imperatives.

The end comes with the outbreak of the First World War. Memories are retrieved, and the tragic truth sheds plenty of light on the darkness.

Please note: This audiobook is in Greek.