When the penniless Tattercoats is included in an invitation to the Earl of Malmsey's grand ball, the servant-girl Malkin and Pug, the gooseherd, are determined that she will attend and claim the inheritance denied her since birth. Together they set off for the court, collecting a ragtag assortment of allies along the way. But their journey proves increasingly difficult as events overtake them and they become enveloped in a disturbing and powerful magic.
Inspired by the English fairytale 'Tattercoats' and Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', this is a cunningly complex and compelling story that reawakens and revitalises the great fairytale tradition.
