Aspiring translators undergo purposeful neurological alteration in symbiosis with alien beings. The organic/mechanical infrastructure of an interstellar colony ship begins to malfunction in ways which threaten the survival of its crew. Living art pieces descended from whales swim through the Milky Way. Doors to other worlds appear in a city descending into chaos. Eldritch emotional magnetism precipitates an eternal chase across spacetime. The mysterious retreats which mark the life of a multi-talented artist intrigue her lover. After the Earth's seas have risen, a community of amphibious and terrestrial people struggle to defend their village and decide their own destiny. A devout priestess comes to terms with the truths her life and her visions have forced her to confront.
In her introduction Ursula K LeGuin characterizes Vonarburg's work as "sophisticated, controlled... sometimes very dark indeed, yet there is a buoyancy in it, a playfulness, and an energy like that of a child’s absorbed, all-consuming game of make believe... [T]he mind that made up these stories is keen, intellectually provocative; and it holds to a fine balance between the serious writer’s sober responsibility to audience, and the pure delight of story-telling."
