A stunning story of summertime and loss from German author Jutta Richter.

Anna, Daniel, and Lucas seem to be living a dream. While their parents take care of a castle, they have the run of the grounds, along with the beautiful countryside that surrounds it. When school lets out, their biggest concern is how to catch the mysterious pike that patrols the dark waters of the moat.

But just as their summer begins, Daniel and Lucas’s mother is taken ill, spending nearly all her time in bed. Anna learns that their mother has cancer, and that Daniel and Lucas have not yet been told. Set adrift on the endless summer days, Anna tries to believe her mother’s promise that it will all be better soon. And as those days gradually shorten and the colors of the fields and flowers change, Daniel becomes convinced that catching the pike will bring luck—that it might even cure his mother. When her condition worsens, these three friends must come together and find courage to face the future.