On a small snow-covered island live twelve-year-old Minou, her philosopher Papa, a priest, Boxman the magician, and a clever dog called No-Name. A year earlier Minou's mother left the house wearing her best shoes and carrying a large black umbrella. She never returned. Can her mother's mysterious disappearance be explained by the equally enigmatic appearance of a dead boy, washed up on the beach one year later? Unwilling to accept her mother's death, Minou embarks on an investigation that will teach her the truth about loss and love, in a story that is uniquely enchanting.